BakuBladers
by DuelKatana
Summary: The BladeBreakers meet the Bakugan Battle Brawlers and they fight together. The story is totally bias so yeah. Expect the other 3 parts to be bias as well. It's a failed first fan fic but... yeah...
1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is my first fanfic so... it's really failed... **

**Oh yeah. Neither anime belongs to me and so on and so forth. **

**The main Characters**

**The BladeBreakers**

**Kai, Ray, Max Tyson **

**Kenny, **** Hillary**

**The Battle Brawlers**

**Shun, ****Dan**

**Marucho, ****Runo **

**Julie, ****Alice**

One day, after training, the BladeBreakers were walking back together. Hillary had missed it, which was really unusual, especially with their battle with Team Psychic just around corner and with the BladeBreakers using new beys that they can hardly control.

"Wonder what Hillary is up to today, she missed the entire training…" Kenny said.

Then they heard the sound of beyblading.

"This isn't exactly what I thought of when you said that we were going training…" said someone none of them knew.

"Come on… it's perfectly fine Marucho" another person said.

"Come on! Let's see who they are!" Tyson suggested. They agreed and walked towards the beybattle.

When they got there they saw a group of six practicing. "How is it going? I'm Tyson. Who are you?"

The bladers turned around. One, who was wearing a yellow shirt with a half-coat over it and green goggles on top of his brown hair said "Hi! My name is Dan. That's Shun," he said pointing to a boy with long black hair that was tied in a loose ponytail and golden-brown eyes. He wore a black shirt with a purple coat over it. "That's Marucho," Dan continued, pointing to a short boy with blond hair, wearing glasses and a blue outfit. "That's Runo" Dan continued, pointing to a girl with long blue hair that was tied into two ponytails. She wore a yellow top with a white skirt. "That's Julie" Dan continued, pointing to a girl in a pink outfit. She had silver hair that was tied in a ponytail. "And last but not least, that's Alice," said Dan, pointing to another girl with flowing orange hair. She wore a green top with white shorts and an open dress over them. "We are the Battle Brawlers." Dan finished.

"As I said, I'm Tyson. That's Ray, Kai, Max and Kenny. We just finished training but we wouldn't mind another battle. Would you mind if we had a game with you?"

"Sure thing!" Dan replied.

"Wait, Tyson. Let me fight." Ray spoke up suddenly.

"Alright Ray. Do your best!" Tyson replied.

Just then, Shun said "Dan, I'll go."

"All right. Good luck Shun! Do your best!" Dan replied.

The battle was tough at first. Then, Shun started to take control of the battle. "Go Drigger!" shouted Ray. "Skyress! Attack! Destruction Meteor Storm!" shouted Shun. Drigger flew out of the ring, leaving Ray stunned.

"So fast… How did you do that?" Ray asked.

"I train." Shun replied, turned and walked back to his team.

"Do you guys mind helping us train for our match? You could stay over at my place." Tyson suggested.

"Sure thing!" Dan replied. Together, the two teams headed to Tyson's house to rest up before the next day of training.

"Morning Hillary! Where were you during yesterday's training? We met this cool team, the Battle Brawlers. One of their bladers, Shun, is really good! He beat Ray in record time! They have agreed to help us train for our battle with Team Psychic. They are at Tyson's house." Kenny told Hillary, the next morning.

"That's perfect!" Hillary exclaimed. "But I hope they are awake at this time of day…"

Together they ran to Tyson's house.

There, Hillary opened the door to find everyone still asleep. Or almost everyone. There was one bed that was already neatly packed. Hillary shouted "Wake up! It's time to start training!"

"We're up!" Tyson sat up immediately, followed by everyone else. Hillary walked to the brawlers. "Hi. I am Hillary. You must be the brawlers! Thanks for helping us out!"

The brawlers introduced themselves. Hillary turned to Tyson. "Whose are those?" she asked, pointing to the bed that was packed.

"I don't know. Ask Dan." Tyson replied.

"Shun's." Dan replied when asked. "He always wakes up at the crack of dawn. He's probably outside right now."

"I see. Can I see him now?" Hillary asked.

"Sure… If he lets you…" Dan replied

"What do you mean?" Hilary asked.

"We don't exactly know where he is. You can find him if he lets you. But he is most likely outside…" Alice explained.

"Interesting… So none of you know where he is exactly?" Hillary asked to clarify.

"Yes." Alice replied.

Hillary went outside as advised and saw Shun in the garden, sitting under a tree with his eyes closed. 'Is he asleep?' Hillary wondered. To find out, she walked up to Shun. "Hi. I'm Hillary. You must be Shun. It's nice to meet you." Hillary said.

"…"

'Okay… This is weird…' Hillary thought. She tried again. "My name is Hillary. Are you Shun? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"…"

Annoyed, Hillary waved her hand in front of Shun's face. To her surprised, Shun opened his eyes and asked "I heard you. My name is Shun. What do you want?"

"Erm, I just wanted to tell you that it is time for breakfast. After that we plan to do some training." Hillary said, not sure of Shun's reaction.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks for the information, but are the others awake?"

"Yup. I woke them up to start training."

"Good for you. You managed to wake Dan up. Usually Runo does that, but I guess she doesn't wake up this early either." Shun replied with a smile. With that, he walked back to Tyson's house.

At Tyson's house, everyone was sitting down and getting ready for breakfast. Shun took his place next to Dan. They start to eat their breakfast. Tyson and Dan start shovelling food into their mouths.

"Where are your table manners? Must you make so much noise when you eat?" both Runo and Hillary asked them at the same time. The two boys stopped for a moment and started laughing. Hillary and Runo looked at each other before starting to laugh as well. Both of them then struck up a conversation and were joined shortly by Julie and Alice. Kenny and Marucho were talking about statistics while Max, Ray and Shun were talking about training while Kai ate in silence before joining in later on.

After breakfast, training started. The brawlers looked on while the BladeBreakers struggled on with trying to control their beys. After awhile Shun walked off and continued to meditate under a tree. Dan walked over and sat down beside him. "Wonder why they can't control their beys." Dan said.

"It isn't actually that big a mystery Dan." Shun replied.

"If you know, tell me."

"…"

"Come on Shun, we are supposed to be helping them, not watch them struggle by themselves…"

As a reply, Shun just stood up and walked to the BladeBreakers. Dan smiled. 'You do care after all…' he thought to himself. Shun walked over and told them, "Go back to the basics and you should be able to control them soon. Start with straight lines, then turns and zigzags." With that, he turned around and walked away.

"Hang on! You can't be serious! We don't have time to go back to basics!" shouted Tyson.

Shun stopped and said "I am. You have the time if you train fast enough and stop focusing on distractions." With that, he walked away. Kai thought about it for a minute before saying, "He's right. Let's go."

"No way Kai! You can, but I won't!" Tyson shouted.

"We agree with Tyson," Max and Ray said.

"Your loss." Kai replied, walking away.

The BladeBreakers decided that the best way to train at that time was to stop battling against each other and battle their new friends, the Brawlers. Dan squared off with Tyson, Marucho with Max and Runo with Ray. After a quick battle, the BladeBreakers lost. Just then, Kai walked back.

"Dan, I challenge you to a fight." Kai announced.

"Sure thing." Dan replied. Shun, stopped meditating and went over to watch. They squared off, but after some time, Dan lost in a stadium out.

"I lost. Good job…" Dan said.

"How did you manage to beat him?" Tyson asked.

"More importantly, how did you manage to control Dronzer that well?" Max added.

"I listened to good advice and went back to basics. Thank you Shun." Kai replied.

"Don't mention it." Shun replied.

"We should have listened. Let's start now!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Now? But It's time for dinner and Runo and I have made a yummy one tonight for you guys to have enough energy to train again tomorrow." Julie complained. It really was dark as Julie said so they had no choice but to go in for dinner.

That night, Kai could not get to sleep. He was thinking about what Shun said about his training. 'He didn't really train with us like the rest of the Brawlers did. Wonder how he trains in that case.' He wondered. At around 12.30am, he noticed Shun waking up and leaving. 'What can he be doing at this hour? Should I follow him? No, it's none of my business.' Kai thought. At around 3.30am, Kai noticed Shun returning and decided to question Dan about it the next morning.

The next morning, as with the previous one, Shun was outside when everyone woke up. Kai asked Dan "Where does Shun go at night?"

"Shun leaves at night?" Dan replied with a puzzled look on his face.

"You mean you don't know?" Kai asked.

"None of us does. Well, except for Shun of course…" Dan answered.

"Overhearing them, Tyson asked "Why don't we follow him tonight?"

They all agreed just in time for Shun to step in. They had breakfast and continued their training, going back to the basics. This time, Shun joined in much more than he did the previous day, happily battling with anyone who challenged him. He won every time, spurring the BladeBreakers to continue training harder than ever before. Before anyone knew it, it was once again time for dinner and they had to stop training and head back to Tyson's house.

That night, no one dared go to bed except Shun, in case they missed the time when Shun leaves. At 12.30 am, Shun gets up and leaves with Skyress. As soon as he walks out, everyone sits up and follows him. They keep up with him until they reach the forest around Tyson's house. Then Shun launches Skyress into the trees and starts jumping from branch to branch, going deeper and deeper into the woods. The others try to keep up, but no one, aside from Kai, Ray and Dan can keep up with him. Even then, they occasionally lose track of him as he trained in the dead of night.

"Look at Skyress and Shun. They are perfectly synchronised. Shun leaps to the next branch just as Skyress does the same thing." Ray commented.

"Could this be what he meant when he said that he trains?" Kai asks Dan.

"I don't know. We have never tried following him before. Especially since it's at night and at the speed he travels, it is easy for us to get lost if we lose track of where he is. Another reason is that he lives very far from where we do, so it's not easy to follow him since we would have to get there before dinner and he would notice us if we did that. I suppose we get to find out today." Dan replied.

After about an hour, they got to a clearing in the woods. Shun finally stopped and jumped off the last branch along with Skyress.

"Skyress! Now!" Shun shouted. His bit beast, Skyress, appeared.

"Let's start our training Skyress. Today, I plan to learn our own weaknesses. We can only do that if we fight against each other."

They begin training, doing exactly what Shun told Skyress, fighting against one another. Dan, Kai and Ray look at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what to make of that scene. After about an hour, Shun and Skyress stopped and left the clearing, the same way they arrived. Again, the leaping from one branch to the other seemed synchronised, as if it had been planned beforehand. Stunned, Dan, Kai and Ray follow him as close as they could.

The next morning, everyone was silent at breakfast. Finally, Dan could take it no more. He asked "Shun, why do you train in the forest at night?"

Shun who was at that time finishing his drink, stopped and put his glass down. With an angry voice, he asked, "How did you know that I go to the woods at night?"

Sheepishly, Dan replied, "We… sort of… well…"

"You followed me?" Shun asked quietly.

"Well…, yeah, we did. We were curious and followed you last night."

"We? Who else did?"

"All of us actually." Ray added.

Shun fell silent and continued to eat. His silence continued throughout the entire meal. When he was done, Dan said, "I'm sorry. Everyone is. Will you forgive us?"

Shun simply turned and left without a word.

When he left, Runo spoke up.

"That was a bad idea Dan."

"Don't you think I realise that?"

"Not to insult you Dan, but sometimes you miss the most obvious things." Julie said.

"I agree with her." Marucho added, unexpectedly.

"You even went to ask for his forgiveness when it was clear he was still mad at us. That was another bad move Dan." Ray said.

"Wasn't it obvious that you should not have even said anything Dan? I mean, seriously, you know how Shun would react to that." Marucho said.

"Enough already… I know that those were bad moves on my part, but I realise my mistakes, so would you all just back off?" Dan shouted.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. That night, no one could go to sleep. Everyone saw Shun go out. This time, no one followed. By the time he came back, everyone was asleep. Shun lay down and settled his thoughts, before going to bed.

The next morning, Hillary went to Tyson's house, only to see everyone in a bad mood and Shun nowhere in sight. "What happened? Where's Shun?" Hillary asked.

"It'll be difficult to find him this time. He went out early and hasn't come back yet." Tyson said.

"Why not?"

"He isn't very happy with us right now… In fact, he is quite upset…" Ray said.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"We followed him one night without telling him. He didn't like it…" Marucho said. Just then, Shun walked in the door.

"We really are sorry Shun… Please forgive us. We need you on our side right now Shun." Alice said.

"It was my idea. If you are upset, take it out in me. I should have kept the fact to myself instead of telling them. It's my fault." Kai said suddenly.

"Don't listen to him. Everyone agreed. It is everyone's fault Kai, not just yours." Tyson said.

"Well, Shun. We are prepared to do whatever you want us to. Just forgive us. Please…" Dan said.

"Fight me and I might consider forgiving all of you." Shun said.

Everyone agrees and they head out to battle. Their matches end in the evening, by which Shun has defeated everyone, even though it was close in his battle against Dan.

"Well Shun?" Dan asks, expectantly.

Shun simply turns and walks away. Then, he stopped walking and turns, saying "I forgive you."

"Why, Shun?" a curious Julie asks.

"I have my reasons." Shun said, walking away. Stopping, he turned and said, "One more thing, tomorrow, I want to start training earlier. No one should be asleep when I get back from my own morning training, you guys got that?" He then walked back to the house without another word.

The next morning, everyone was dressed and ready by the time Shun returned. Smiling slightly, Shun said, "Good, everyone's ready. Let's start. It's time you get in control of those beys you have. As I said before, start with the basics, with what you already know."

That training was a success. Under the Brawlers' instructions, Ray, Max and Tyson managed to finally control their new beys by lunchtime. "Great! With some practice, Team Psychic stands no chance against us!" Max exclaimed.

"Dan, it's been awhile since we last trained as partners, why don't we head down to the beach and start on our own training. I don't think they need our guidance that much right now…" Shun said.

Surprised, Dan replied "Sure thing Shun. But any particular reason why?"

"I guess I just want to improve both our skills some more." Shun replied.

With that, Dan and Shun went to the beach and began to beybattle. It wasn't long before the others noticed their absence. However, when they got there, trouble was already brewing.

While beybattling, Dan and Shun were watched by two members of Team Psychic, Goki and Jim. "Interesting, they are really good bey bladers. I don't know why they would choose to help the BladeBreakers. Maybe we should convince them to join us instead…" Jim said.

"Alright. They don't stand a chance against our cyber bit-beasts anyway." Goki agreed.

They walk over. Jim said "You two are part of the Brawlers aren't you? We are from Team Psychic. Maybe you should be helping us instead…"

"Why should we?" Dan asked, impulsively.

"Let's settle this with a battle. If you win, we will not bother you. But, if we win, the Brawlers help us instead of the BladeBreakers. Deal?" Jim asked.

"We accept that." Shun replied.

"Shun? Are you sure? Accepting like this isn't like you…" Dan said.

"I'm sure." Shun replies.

"Let's begin!" Goki shouts. "3, 2, 1, let it rip!"

Within minutes, Goki and Jim call out their bit beasts and Dan and Shun follow suit. Soon, Shun says, "Let's end it now, Skyress! Destruction Meteor Storm!" With that, the battle ends as Jim and Goki's beys fly out of the stadium. The other Brawlers and the BladeBreakers arrive just in time to see that spectacular victory.

"Unbelievable…" Kai murmurs.

"It's over. I win. You lose our bet." Shun says.

"I want a rematch!" Jim says.

"No deal." Shun replies and walks off.

Desperately, Jim challenges them, saying "We challenge the Brawlers as well as the BladeBreakers. We shall challenge both of you at the same time! The place, time and date has already been set with the BladeBreakers. Make sure you're there."

"We accept that challenge!" Runo shouts from where she was standing.

"That's right. We are not afraid of you guys!" Alice and Julie say at the same time.

"I'm confident we'll win." Marucho says.

"You've got your answer. Now leave us alone." Dan said.

"Very well. See you again, Brawlers. Let's go Jim." Goki says. They leave without another word.

On the way back to Tyson's house, everyone begins to discuss about the challenge ahead. "We better get back to training pronto. I really don't like fighting without practicing first. I also want to start collecting data on their cybernetic bit-beasts." Marucho said.

"Don't worry about the information. I have plenty of that on them. I can transfer that to your computer later on." Kenny said, smiling.

"Thanks!" Marucho replied.

It was too late to continue training. So, everyone ate dinner and went to sleep. Before they knew it, it was morning, the start of the next day. As usual, Shun was already gone and returned later for breakfast. After breakfast, they began training. For the first time, Shun actively practiced in front of them, showing his skills even when not in a battle. However, they never saw him call out Skyress, which was unusual, considering the other Brawlers were openly calling out and practicing with their bit beasts. Dan with Drago, Marucho with Preyas, Runo with Tigrerra, Julie with Gorem and Alice with Hydronoid. However, no one questioned it. It seemed that Shun had always trained that way and was comfortable like that. Also, their battle with Team Psychic was in two weeks and no one wanted to anger Shun like they did the last time, in fact, it was the last thing anyone wanted.

All too soon, it was time. Marucho and Kenny had found out that Team Psychic used cybernetic versions of the bit beasts that the BladeBreakers used a few days ago. This pushed the BladeBreakers and the Brawlers to train even more. Now, they were finally ready. They managed to discuss strategies while on the way there.

When they got to the agreed meeting place, they came face to face with a giant skyscraper. "What a place to bey battle in…" Julie commented.

"Yeah…" Ray said, agreeing with Julie.

They walked in to meet their challengers. They met with Team Psychic, Jim, Goki, Kane and Salima. "All right. We will play in a tag- battle. Each of us will be tagged up with another blader from the group of bladers inside the building we are in. They will be chosen at random. You guys will also pair up, a Brawler to a BladeBreaker. The pairings we will leave up to you. Is that agreeable with you?" Kane asked.

"It's fine with us." Tyson replied.

"Then, let's begin our battles!" Kane said, before walking through a door with his teammates. The door closed before anyone else could react.

"Now what?" Max asked. Before anyone could answer, another door opened on the far side of the room. Looking at one another, the Brawlers and the BladeBreakers walked through the door, which closed behind them.

They ran through a tunnel. While running, they paired themselves up. It was agreed that the members of BladeBreakers would fight their bit beast's cybernetic counterpart. That just left the pairing up. "I want to go with Dan! Our styles are similar. This will help us coordinate more easily. Is that okay with you Dan?" Tyson asked.

"No problem!" Dan replied, grinning excitedly.

"I would like to battle too, if that's all right with everyone." Alice spoke up.

"Sure! You can be my partner if you like." Max replied smiling.

"Thanks!" Alice said, smiling in return.

"I think that it would be for the best if the two tigers, Tigrerra and Drigger are paired up with one another. This means that Ray and Runo will be partners. Is that okay with two of you?" Marucho asks.

"Fine with me." Ray says. Runo agreed with a nod of approval.

"What about you, Kai?" Kenny asked.

Kai walked over to Shun and said, "Would you fight beside me, Shun?"

Everyone stared, waiting for Shun's reaction. "Fine with me." Shun said, the sides of his mouth pulling up in a small smile.

Everyone fell silent. "Well, that was unexpected." Runo commented.

Finally, they arrived at the end of the tunnel. There was a huge bey stadium in front of them. On the opposite side, Jim stood there with his partner blader. "All right Alice, you ready? You'll take on the extra blader while I battle with Jim okay?" Max asked.

"Let's battle." Alice replied.

Although Max fought hard, calling out Drasil and using him to the best of his ability, they were no match for cyber Drasil. After a long and hard battle, Max lost and Jim took Drasil away. Meanwhile, the other blader had been caught unprepared for Hydronoid. "What's the matter? Scared of Hydronoid?" Alice asked. She defeated him soon after, at the same time when Max got defeated, taking down the blader's cyber bit beast with ease. When she looked around to see if she could help Max, it was already too late. All Alice could do was watch on as Drasil was stolen.

"Drasil! No!" Max cried out to no avail. It was too late. Laughing, Jim left and a path across the stadium emerged, leading to a door on the other side. Alice walked over to comfort Max.

"Don't worry. We'll beat the rest of them and get Drasil back for you. Trust us." Alice said.

"Yeah, Max. We'll get Drasil back, just you wait." Tyson said.

"Thanks. Let's get going then." Max said.

Smiling at his optimism, everyone continued through the door, to the next battle.

When they emerged at the next battle site, it was on the edge of a mountain. Standing in front of them was Salima. Ray stepped forward uneasily. They had met previously and he did not understand what could have drove Salima to become the way she was now, mostly controlled by the power of the cybernetic bit beast. He had not been looking forward to the fight; however, he knew that he could not back down if he wanted to help Salima. The only way he was going to help her, was by defeating her.

"We'll play like Max and Alice did. If you finish first don't try to help. This is between me and Salima okay, Runo." Ray said.

"I won't interfere. Unless you seem to be losing, I promise not to interfere with your battle. I understand, Ray." Runo replied.

Like before, the battle was difficult. Salima's cyber Drigger outmatched Ray's Drigger in both speed and power. Runo defeated her opponent easily and was carefully watching Ray's fight, ready to jump in should anything go wrong. However, it was clear that the real Salima did not like the bit beasts at all and would rather win using her own skills. Hearing that helped Ray focus to break Salima free from the bit beast's control. He managed to defeat her some time after that. After defeating Salima, Ray walked up to her and said, "You don't have to go back to them. Join us on BladeBreakers. We would love to have you on our team."

"I can't do that. I cannot betray my team and join yours. I have to go back to help them." Salima replied, walking away sadly.

Ray nodded, understanding what she wanted. They ran up the mountain before entering another door which brought them back into the building. As with the battle with Jim, there was a giant bey stadium in front of them. However, this time, Goki stood opposite them.

"Hey, Shun. Remember me?" Goki shouted when Kai and Shun walked forward to the challenge.

"So what if I do? I'm not here to battle you anyway. Who I battle, I'll leave it to Kai to decide." Shun said calmly.

"Sure… But I challenge you Shun! I do not believe that I am not able to stop your attack. I even specially trained for this match. I knew you and Kai would most probably pair up, so I decided to spend some extra time training for a fight against you." Goki said, proud of himself.

"As if I would care." Shun said. "As I said before, who I battle, I'll leave it to Kai."

"Well Kai? What's your pick?" Goki taunted.

"Honestly, I don't care who I battle. Since you want to challenge him so badly, I'll allow you to." Kai replied.

"All right, let's start. 3, 2, 1, let it rip!"

It turned out Goki had indeed figured out a way to stop Shun's 'Destruction Meteor Storm'. "Told you so! Now I'll just take Skyress away from you!" Goki said triumphantly.

"What did you say?" Shun asked quietly.

Not seeing the danger signs, Goki repeated himself in a sing-song voice.

Shun's hands were clenched into tight fists. It was obvious that he was really angry. Goki, who was too far away to notice anything but the fact that Skyress was spinning on the spot. "Too afraid to face me? Too bad! That won't stop me from taking Skyress!"

That was the final straw. Suddenly, a green tornado burst up, surrounding Shun. Kai, having won his battle with ease, looked at Shun with a shocked look on his face. No one expected that to happen. "You'll never take Skyress away! Never! Skyress! Go full force, don't hold back anything! Merged attack! Destruction Meteor Storm with Fire Storm!" Shun shouted, his voice full of anger.

The merged attack almost took Goki's Cyber Dronzer down. Cyber Dronzer was wobbling, but not yet defeated. With a cry of rage, Shun shouted, "We have to break through our limits, Skyress! We cannot give up. Let's try. Limit Break!"

"All of Skyress' statistics have doubled. This is unbelievable!" Kenny exclaimed.

"End this Skyress! Let's end this now. Destruction Meteor Storm!" Shun shouted.

With that final attack, cyber Dronzer was blasted out of the stadium and was destroyed, falling apart into thousands of pieces. The tornado died down and Skyress shot back into Shun's hand. He stood there for a few minutes, looking down in relief at his bey while everyone stared at him, shocked at his sudden burst of power. Then he turned and walked back without a second glance.

'What power and skill. Even if I do train more, I doubt I would ever get to his level.' Kai thought.

Suddenly, a giant screen appeared. A voice recording congratulated them on coming so far and told them to rest there before their next opponent arrives. Kai took the liberty of that time to ask Dan, "Why are Shun and Skyress so close to each other? They have a bond that I never thought possible. He only showed his true strength when he was on the verge of losing Skyress to Team Psychic. Why is that so?"

"You noticed too? Well, Shun lost his mother a few years back. Skyress was her last gift to him. I suppose that answers why they are so close. However, that burst of power and that tornado was as unexpected to you as it was to us. We don't know how he really trains, so I can't really answer that. Whatever it was, it has really drained most of his energy." Dan replied, gesturing towards Shun, who was sitting with his back leaning on a nearby pillar, eyes closed. He appeared to be meditating, but his short, quick breaths proved that he was indeed tired and was working hard to calm himself down totally.

"Maybe, you could ask him later, when he has calmed himself down totally. Who knows what he would do if we ask him when he hasn't." Alice added.

Kai nodded slowly, beginning to understand the bond between Shun and Skyress. 'So, it's a bond that would be tough to break. I wonder if that gives him his strength.' Kai wondered.

However, just then, their final opponent, Kane came out. Tyson and Dan stepped forward. Shun stood up and walked over to Dan. "This battle will be tough Dan. Watch Tyson's back when you're done. Kane seems to be more skilful than the rest of them, not overconfident as the rest was. Watch out Dan. You too, Tyson." Shun added, turning to face him.

Grinning, both replied "Don't worry." They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Enough! Let's start the match already! 3, 2, 1, let it rip!" Kane shouted.

Everyone soon realised that Shun was right. The match between Kane and Tyson was heated from the beginning. When Dan joined the fight after easily defeating the other blader, things became even more intense. It was obvious that although Dan had skills that were only matched by Shun's, even when paired up with Dragoon against cyber Dragoon, it was an even match.

"Who do you think will win?" Ray asked.

"I don't know. It's too close to call." Julie replied.

Then, the tables began to tip against Dan and Tyson. "Is it just me, or does it seem like cyber Dragoon is growing bigger?" Dan asked.

"He's definitely growing…" Tyson said, his voice filled with dread.

"Cyber Dragoon has been absorbing the power from their attacks. What they have to do is combine their attacks into one and defeat him in one move." Shun said.

"Let's do it now Dan! Dragoon!" Tyson shouted.

"Drago! You heard him! Boosted Dragon!" Dan shouted.

The two attacks merged into one and they blasted Kane's cyber Dragoon out of the stadium, destroying it into a thousand pieces, allowing Kane to be broken free from the power of the cyber bit beasts, like Salima and Goki were. However, the attack caused the building start shaking.

"What's happening?" Salima's voice came out of nowhere. Then Goki, Jim and her appeared. Jim seemed to be back to normal. "We managed to convince him that the cyber bit beasts were not as good as he thought." Salima explained.

"Don't explain now! We have to get out! The building is about to collapse!" Ray shouted.

"But what about Drasil?" Max asked, worriedly.

"Drasil is with us. Now let's get out of here!" Goki shouted.

They make it out, just in time for the building to collapse into rubble. "That was lucky. Now return Drasil to me." Max said, turning to Jim.

"Here you go. Sorry about that." Jim apologised.

"It's fine. You didn't know what you were doing anyway." Max replied.

"Thank you for forgiving Jim and for helping us. Let's keep in touch as friends okay?" Kane asked, holding out his hand.

"Sure thing!" Tyson said, taking Kane's hand and shaking it.

The next day, as a celebration, everyone took a break from training and they all went out for a picnic at the park near Tyson's house, next to the beach. Kenny, however, did not follow them in order to complete his data analysis on their battles against Team Psychic. However, after a while, Tyson and Dan got bored with what they were doing.

"I'm getting bored. We're just sitting around… Not exactly the most exciting thing we have done the past few days… I want a battle!" Tyson said.

"I agree. We're not going to get any better if we do this all day." Dan agreed, nodding his head.

"Come on. We are supposed to be relaxing. This is a celebration of our win remember… Runo, Julie, Alice and I have worked really hard to prepare this picnic for everyone, you know…" Hillary complained.

"We appreciate the effort put in, but this is way too boring. It wouldn't hurt to allow us to bey battle. What's more, if we stop practicing, our skills will not get any better. What if we run into stronger bladers?" Dan replied.

"I agree with Dan on this one. I don't think we should just sit here all day." Marucho commented.

"Let's vote on it then. If majority chooses to start beybattling, then we do it." Alice said with a smile.

They voted and it turned out that there were exactly the same on each side. "That can't be right. Without Kenny here, we have an odd number of people." Dan said. Looking around, he asked, "Has anyone seen Shun? He doesn't seem to be here."

"I think I saw him go down to the beach earlier on." Max said.

"Let's go ask for his deciding vote!" Tyson cried. Agreeing, they went down to the beach together.

They got there and saw Shun standing near the waves, staring out to sea, lost in his thoughts. "I don't think we should bother him right now." Ray said. However Shun heard him. He turned and walked towards them.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing really… We were just voting about if we should battle now and we need your vote to decide. Well?" Dan said, expectantly.

"I don't really care. But if you guys want a battle, I won't stop you. So, I guess my vote is clear." Shun replied. "However, if you want me to battle, make sure that it isn't a boring one." He continued.

"Yes! Come on guys! Let's start beybattling!" Tyson exclaimed.

Not long after however, they were interrupted by two other bey bladers, both wearing matching outfits. "We meet again, BladeBreakers. I see you've made new friends. Why don't we get acquainted?" one said. He was a short person with green hair.

"Bring it on Joseph!" Ray shouted angrily.

"Not to ruin the mood or anything, but mind telling us who are these people?" Julie asked.

"They are members of a group who call themselves the Saint Shields. This one here is called Joseph," Kai answered, pointing to the boy who just spoke. "The big one behind him is called Dunga." Kai continued, pointing to a boy with long blond hair and small blue-green eyes. "They have two other members, Mariam and Ozuma. We would probably meet them later. They challenged us separately before, probably to test our strength. Whatever it was, we ended up losing because we could not see their bit beasts at first. My battle was the only one to finish in a tie. However, not long before you arrived, we managed to start seeing their bit beasts. It has helped us a lot in our preparations against them." Kai finished.

"Enough with the introductions! From what I saw earlier, you Brawlers are not that bad at beyblading. Why don't you take me and Joseph on in a battle and we shall see how good you are. Then we can take away those sacred bit beasts of yours. Not only can we gain the bit beasts from the BladeBreakers, but also those sacred bit beasts from the Brawlers."Dunga taunted.

"They belong to us anyway. We are the only ones worthy of having those 10 bit beasts. I don't care how good you are; we'll get them in the end and harness their power for ourselves!" Joseph added.

"All right. I accept that challenge." Shun spoke up, unexpectedly.

"Shun… Are you sure about this? You haven't fully recovered from using 'Limit Break' yesterday. You won't be able to battle at full strength if you need to." Marucho warned.

"I'll partner up with him in that case. I have a score to settle against Joseph." Ray said. "Is that okay with you, Shun?"

"Yeah. It's fine with me." Shun replied.

"Let's start. 3, 2, 1, let it rip!" Joseph shouted.

Their battle began. After some time, Joseph and Dunga called out their bit beasts, Vanishing Moot and Vortex Ape out to battle. Seeing this, Ray called out Drigger to match them as well. However, Shun did not follow suit and continued to battle without Skyress. "Call out Skyress, Shun! If you don't, you stand no chance against them!" Tyson called out.

"No, I refuse to." Shun called back.

"Why doesn't he follow my advice?" Tyson asked out loud.

"I think yesterday's battle is getting to him. He already almost lost Skyress yesterday; I don't think he wants a replay of that," replied Alice.

However, it became obvious to everyone that Shun would not be able to carry on fighting without Skyress for long, no matter how good he was. Joseph and Dunga were too strong for Shun to fight without calling out Skyress, and Ray and Drigger could not go up against them alone. "Shun! Please listen and call out Skyress! If not, we will lose the match. Shun!" Ray pleaded with him.

"I need you now Skyress, are you here with me?" Shun murmured under his breath. "Let's do this! Skyress! Now!" Shun shouted.

"I knew you would not let us down Shun!" Runo called out.

"The real battle starts now." Shun said.

"It doesn't matter that you have called out your bit beast. We will still win. So this just means that we will take yours as well." Dunga said with a smirk on his face.

Shun's hands clenched into fists. "There it is… The first sign." Kai said softly.

"You mean you think that Shun is going to use…" Max said.

"You can't, Shun! I don't know if you or Skyress can handle the extra power right now. Shun, please listen to me! Shun!" Marucho called out to him but to no avail. Just then, the tornado they had seen the day before appeared once again.

"You will pay for that! Limit Break!" Shun cried out.

Once again, his statistics doubled. "No Shun! Stop this. Please!" Dan called out, too late.

"Destruction Meteor Storm!" Shun cried out. The attack caused Vortex Ape and Vanishing Moot to fly out of the stadium. They had won.

"No way… We lost…" Dunga said in disbelieve.

"What sort of attack was that?" Joseph muttered.

"We defeated you, now leave us alone." Ray said.

"This isn't over yet. We'll be back." Dunga said before leaving with Joseph.

"That was close. We would not have won if you had not called out Skyress. Thanks Shun." Ray said, turning.

"Don't worry about it…" Shun said before blacking out, falling onto the sand.

"Shun!" Dan shouted, running to him with everyone following close behind.

"Wonder what happened to him out there. He never loses control of himself that way, never." Dan said. They were back at Tyson's house.

"I agree with Dan, even though what Dunga said could have triggered something, usually Shun would first try to compose himself, instead of letting himself go out of control like that. He would think before using 'Limit Break' again. After all, he knows that it uses up a lot of energy and that he has not fully recovered from yesterday's battle. So he should have known that this would push him to the point of total exhaustion, causing this to happen." Marucho said.

They turned, looking at Shun. He lay unconscious on his bed, having used up all his energy in the fight.

"I don't think that what Dunga said could have triggered him to use 'Limit Break'. In the battle yesterday, he was even closer to losing Skyress. Even then, he used merged attack first, instead of using 'Limit Break' straight away." Kai commented.

"It has to be what Joseph said in the beginning then. There is no other explanation." Max said.

"I don't think so." Ray said. Everyone looked at him. "You guys were not there, next to him. There was something troubling him, even before the battle actually started. There was something about the expression on his face that I can't put my finger on. However, he was definitely thinking of something. We just have to find out what that something is."

Just then, they heard a movement. Turning around, they saw Shun opening his eyes. Walking over, Dan said, "Shun! You're awake! I'm glad that you're okay."

"Hey Dan. Sorry for losing control of myself earlier on. I don't usually lose control like that." Shun said, while sitting up. Looking around, he asked, "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours. But that doesn't matter. Just one thing Shun," Dan replied, hesitating a little.

"What is it Dan?" Shun asked.

"What were you thinking about earlier that made you lose your cool Shun? I mean, it's not like you to lose control just like that. Was it because of yesterday's battle?" Dan asked.

"Not exactly… It's a little more than just that. It isn't something that you would understand." Shun replied.

"Let me try to then. Let us all try. Please Shun." Dan pleaded.

"Fine… Remember when we were up against the Vexos, Dan? I lost Skyress to Hydron then. Sure I won her back later on, but I still can't help but think that it was all avoidable if I had used 'Limit Break' then and there, even though I had not fully mastered it yet at that point in time."

"I remember… You trained almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week after losing Skyress to Hydron. But, I don't get it. What does that have to do with today's battle?" Dan asked, confused.

"We all remember that. But none of us get it either, Shun." Alice said, agreeing with Dan.

"I told you that you wouldn't understand." Shun said.

"Then explain to us, Shun. We want to understand." Julie said.

"The battle earlier reminded me of that battle with Hydron. That, along with yesterday's battle, threw me off. All I could think about was that I could not make the same mistake that made in the battle against Hydron. I guess that made me use 'Limit Break' without thinking of the consequences…" Shun explained further.

"Wait. Could you guys tell us who this Hydron person is?" Tyson asked.

"He is the second-in-command of Team Vexos, one of our main enemies before coming here. We played against them twice, after losing the first time." Runo explained.

"I see…" Tyson replied, nodding.

That night, Kai noticed Shun slipping out the door. 'Didn't he agree not to go out to train tonight? I don't think he's the kind of person who goes back on his word.' Kai thought. 'Well, if he is going out to train, it wouldn't hurt to follow him today.' Decided, Kai walks out as well. However, he could not see Shun going into the woods in any way. Then, he saw Shun, sitting on the roof of Tyson's house, staring up at the moon. "What are you doing up there Shun?" Kai asked.

Surprised, Shun looked down. "Thinking." He replied.

"About what?"

"There's no need for you to inquire."

"I see… Well, I'll go back then."

"…"

The next morning, there was some commotion outside when Tyson woke up.

"What do you mean you don't see the harm in letting him battle when he hasn't fully recovered from yesterday?"

"It's just that we need Shun's help during our training today, Dan. We want to see how we match up against him at this current moment." Tyson heard Kai's voice say.

"Let's let Shun decide for himself. Well, Shun?" Alice said.

"What's going on out there?" Tyson asked, walking out the door. Outside, he saw Shun under a tree, meditating as per normal. However, Dan and the rest of BladeBreakers were having a heated argument in front of Shun.

"It's fine with me either way. I don't really care." Shun replied with a small shrug.

"Then it's settled. We will take turns fighting against Shun while everyone else thinks of ways to improve our skills." Kai said.

"Actually Kai, I want to talk to Marucho and Kenny about my bey. I want to see if there is any way of modifying it for me to bring out Drigger's full potential." Ray said.

"Fine with me." Kai replied.

"Wait. Who said we were agreeing to this in the first place?" Dan asked angrily.

"We agree with Dan on this one Kai. It's just too risky for Shun to battle right now…" Julie said for the Brawlers.

"Let's compromise. The BladeBreakers will each play one of the Brawlers instead. Shun can join in if he wants to." Alice said.

They were all in full agreement of this. Marucho, Ray and Kenny went indoors to work on Drigger while everyone else prepared for their respective beybattles. However after awhile, Kenny popped his head out of the door and shouted, "Can you keep the noise level down? We can't hear ourselves think, much less discuss our ideas!"

"We're beybattling. What do you expect Kenny?" Tyson answered.

"I know a place where we can train without worrying about disturbing anyone else. Follow me." Shun said, standing up from his position.

They followed Shun into the woods where they continued training without any further disruptions. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Ray, Kenny and Marucho. Soon after everyone else had followed Shun, they were once again disrupted by the Saint Shields.

"Come on out everyone! We are back, just as we said we would be!" Joseph's voice said.

"What are they doing here?" Marucho asked worriedly.

"I don't know, but I couldn't care less. Let's go Drigger." Ray replied.

"Ray, don't go out there! We haven't finished the modifications on Drigger yet. It's not a good idea!" Kenny said.

"I've made up my mind and I don't plan to change it!" Ray argued.

"Don't worry Kenny; I'll join the battle if Ray needs help. Anyway, it's a good way to judge the power of Drigger at this current time instead of getting the data from past battles." Marucho reasoned.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kenny said.

"You wanted a battle didn't you? Well then, battle me!" Ray shouted at Joseph when he went outside. What he did not expect was for Mariam to be there as well.

"I was hoping to battle that guy named Shun who beat me before so that Mariam can see for herself what kind of a blader he is. But, I guess we could battle anyway." Joseph replied with a smirk on his face.

'It's a good thing that Shun has left with everyone else and has not come back himself. I don't think that he would have backed down from that challenge…' Marucho thought with relief.

"3, 2, 1, let it rip!" Ray and Joseph shouted at the same time.

They were just about evenly matched and for some time, the battle could have gone either way. However, in the middle of the battle, Mariam said, "Come on Joseph! You can't win this by yourself and if it carries on like this, his friends may return to help him. Let it rip!"

With that, Mariam joined the battle, pushing Ray further and further back with each attack. "Hey! That isn't fair at all! Ray, I'm joining the battle. Let it rip!" Marucho shouted.

Soon, Joseph and Mariam called out their bit beasts, Vanishing Moot and Sharkrash respectively. Seeing that, Ray called out Drigger while Marucho called out Preyas. "I'll take on Mariam while you continue your battle against Joseph all right Ray?" Marucho asked.

"Fine with me, Marucho." Ray replied.

It was an intense battle, but Marucho managed to defeat Mariam in battle after a while. "I… lost…" Mariam said, amazed by Marucho and Preyas' ability, attribute change. Marucho turned, only to see Ray losing the battle and Drigger being stolen and locked away in a stone slab.

"Come on Mariam, we got what we wanted. Let's go." Joseph said.

"Yeah…" Mariam replied as they left.

"That was a great training session! Thanks for bringing us into the woods to train Shun!" Tyson said to Shun.

"Yeah… I guess…" Shun replied.

They came out from the trees only to see Ray standing there, staring at Drigger. "What happened, Ray? Why are you just standing there?" Tyson asked.

Ray didn't answer. Instead, Kenny walked up to them. "Ray… He lost Drig-" Kenny started.

"Kenny…" Ray said quietly.

"You lost Drigger! When? To whom?" Dan asked frantically.

"A few moments ago… To Joseph…" Ray replied sadly.

Hearing that, everyone lapsed into silence. Together, they returned to Tyson's house and ate in silence.

That night, at around 12.30a.m., Shun woke up for his nightly personal training as usual. As he stepped out of the house, he noticed Ray sitting on the porch silently.

"What are you doing out here?" Shun asked.

Surprised, Ray turned around. "Oh. Hey Shun. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Drigger…"

"Oh." Shun walked over and sat down next to Ray. "You heard about what happened between me and Hydron that day didn't you?" Shun said unexpectedly.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"What I didn't talk about at that time was what I did after losing Skyress" Shun said with a small smile. Ray looked at him in surprise. 'I didn't expect Shun to talk to me about this. Why would he?' Ray thought.

"The first night after I lost Skyress, I sat around, thinking about what I should do next. I was only certain that I had to get Skyress back no matter what. So, after thinking for that entire night, I decided that I would train even harder than before. That was what Dan meant when he said that I trained almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He was exaggerating a little I guess. However, I did add in numerous training timings for myself. Soon, it formed into a routine, one that I still follow until today. At that time, I trained to master Limit Break more than anything else, but I still trained myself and my normal attacks, just so that I had a chance against Hydron even without Skyress. The remaining parts of the story, you already know. I defeated Hydron the next time we met. What we left out the other day was that Skyress returned even before the battle ended. It was about to end but the match could still have gone either way. That was when Skyress came back to me and we won that battle together." Shun finished, smiling down at Skyress.

Both Shun and Ray lapsed into silence. After some time, Ray spoke up, "I was thinking Shun, if you would allow me to train with you." Ray looked expectantly at Shun.

"Why don't we start now?" Shun replied, standing up.

"You mean it?"

"However, you must be able to keep up with me."

With that, Shun started heading for the woods with Ray right behind him. At the clearing, Shun began to instruct Ray and gave him advice and tips while training at the same time. They practiced the basic skills as well as some new ones that Shun readily taught Ray. Too soon, Shun started to head back. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you up when I start my morning training." Shun told Ray as they walked back. Ray nodded in agreement.

At about 5.30 in the morning, Ray felt a light shove. "Wake up Ray. Talk softly so that we do not wake the others up." Shun whispered. They got up and went outside. Ray, expecting Shun to head into the woods again, was surprised when Shun just walked out the door and went to the beach. Shun beckoned Ray over.

"I told you last night that I also trained myself in order to get stronger. To do that, I always go out for a run for about half an hour or more depending. When we get back, I'll show you what I do next."

They began running. By the time they had finished, Ray was panting. However, Shun did not look tired at all. "Let's go back." Shun said before turning around. When they arrived, Ray realised that no one else was awake yet. Shun, instead of going into the house, walked over to a tree, sat down, closed his eyes and began to meditate.

"How is that suppose to help us improve?" Ray asked curiously.

"It helps to clear the mind, allowing you to focus better during battles. At least that is what it does for me." Shun replied without even opening his eyes.

"Oh." Ray replied. He sat down next to Shun and tried. However, no matter how he tried, he could not grasp that clarity of mind Shun was talking about. At the end of it, he asked Shun why he could not get that clarity. "It takes a while." Shun replied with a slight smile.

They entered the dining room and saw that everyone had just arrived as well. "Hey Ray! There you are. Where were you? We could not find you anywhere earlier." Max asked.

"I was… training. I have to train more if I'm going to get Drigger back." Ray replied.

"Shun, did you…?" Dan whispered.

"Maybe…" Shun answered nonchalantly.

After breakfast, they began their training session. After awhile, Ray asked, "Dan, do you mind having a battle with me?"

"Sure Ray… If you want to…" Dan replied, surprised by the request.

"Don't hold back Dan." Ray said.

"Are you sure Ray?" Dan asked.

"Yes." Ray replied confidently. Their battle commenced. The battle was surprisingly even, considering that Ray did not have Drigger. After some time, the battle ended with Ray victorious. It was an unexpected result.

"Well done Ray. You seem to have mastered blading without your bit beast." Kai commented.

"Thanks Kai. I had some really good advice." Ray said, smiling happily.

All of a sudden, Shun looked up. 'There's someone there. I'm sure I saw that shadow of movement.' He thought. "Watch out. There's someone on the roof spying on us." Shun said.

"Are you sure?" Kenny asked.

"I'm positive." Shun replied.

"He's right. The one he saw was me." Someone said from behind.

They turned and saw Mariam standing behind them. "You seem to have gotten stronger. Too bad you don't have Drigger. Now, it would be a waste of time and effort battling you…" Mariam said to Ray.

"You sure about that?" Ray asked angrily.

"Calm down Ray." Max cautioned. "Let me and Drasil handle this."

"Wait for me Mariam. I want a part in this too." Joseph said, appearing from behind the bushes that surrounded Tyson's house.

"If it's going to be two of you, I want to join in. I haven't had the chance to battle in anyone yet. It's my turn to show you guys what I'm made of!" Julie interrupted.

"3, 2, 1, let it rip!" they shouted together. From the very beginning, everyone called out their bit beasts. For the first time, the BladeBreakers saw Julie in action for real. She was battling Joseph in a match that was looking really one sided, in Julie's favour.

"Gorem, let's finish this. Grand Impact!" Julie shouted before ending the battle.

Things with Max and Mariam on the other hand, looked really even, with neither willing to give up. However, it became increasingly obvious as the battle continued that Sharkrash lacked the stamina to continue the battle for much longer. "Sharkrash, we have to win this now!" Mariam urged Sharkrash.

"We can't allow ourselves to be beaten like this Drasil!" Max countered.

Both used their special move at the same time. Their attacks clashed and caused an explosion. When the dust settled, Sharkrash had stopped spinning. It had ended in a sleep out.

"We failed. I guess you could protect Drasil well enough… It seems that he has chosen you at any rate…" Mariam said, before rushing off.

"Great job Max! You managed to hold on to Drasil!" Tyson cried happily.

"Thanks Julie. I don't think I could have handled both Joseph and Mariam." Max said to Julie.

"Yeah Julie. You were awesome just now. No one could have thought that you were holding that much back when training." Ray said, agreeing with Max.

"Enough… You guys are embarrassing me… Let's go have dinner all right. It's almost dark." Julie said, her face turning red.

During dinner, everyone discussed about how they should defeat the remaining Saint Shields. "We can assume that the next battle will be tomorrow. They have been attacking daily now. Who do you think it will be?" Kenny asked.

"Dunga. It only makes sense that they reserve their best for last. Since he has failed to turn up or fight, we can assume that Ozuma is the last one." Marucho said.

"In that case, I'll be his opponent. I have a score to settle with him. This time, I won't let it end in a tie." Kai said his determination apparent in his voice.

It was agreed and everyone went to sleep after dinner. Like the night before, Shun woke Ray up and they trained together like they did before.

In the morning, when everyone had woken up and eaten their breakfast, they went outside. That was when they noticed a note that was stuck in the ground in Tyson's yard. Picking it up and reading it, Tyson announced, "It's a challenge, from the Saint Shields. We are to go to the abandoned theme park. They said that if we won the remaining battles, they would also return Ray's Drigger…" Everyone looked at each other.

"We have no choice but to accept. Let's go now." Kai said, turning around and walking out the door.

They arrived around noon. "All of us are here. Show yourselves or we'll leave!" Tyson shouted out. Once he said that, all four Saint Shields appeared.

"I'll introduce myself to the Brawlers seeing as we have not met before this. My name is Ozuma, leader of the Saint Shields. I fight with my bit beast partner, Flash Leopard." The person who spoke was a boy with black hair that had red highlights in front. He had green eyes and wore a single earring on his left ear. He was dressed in a similar outfit as the other members.

"Don't spoil it Ozuma. We're here to get Dronzer and Dragoon. I for one want to start my battle with Kai and seal away his bit beast with Drigger." Dunga said with a smirk on his face. He pointed to a slab of rock tied to the top of the Ferris wheel.

"Bring it on! Let's start!" Kai challenged.

"I have a better place in mind. Follow me." Dunga replied before running towards an old roller coaster. The BladeBreakers and the Brawlers followed not far behind him, along with the rest of the Saint Shields.

"They are not going to battle up there are they…?" Runo asked when they saw Kai and Dunga running up to the starting point of the ride.

"3, 2, 1, let it rip!" Both Dunga and Kai shouted at the same time. Soon, the intensity of their battle increased. Both had called out their bit beasts and neither was willing to give an inch to the other party.

"I don't think Dunga will win by himself if this goes on. Joseph, join the battle. We have to get Dronzer at all costs." Ozuma ordered. Joseph went to battle as told and immediately called out his bit beast, Vanishing Moot. Slowly, Dronzer was forced back by both Vanishing Moot and Vortex Ape.

"Kai can't battle by himself like that. We have to help him." Tyson said. In agreement, everyone started forward, but the battle overhead had caused a portion of the roller coaster to collapse next to where they were standing, blocking their path. Ray jumped over and onto the roller coaster.

"What do you think you are doing Ray? You won't stand a chance against them without Drigger!" Dan shouted to Ray.

"I have nothing to lose. So I am your best choice to help Kai. Don't worry. After all, if I don't prove myself, how can I expect Drigger to return to me?" Ray replied, before running off to help Kai.

Once Ray joined the battle, things evened up a little, with Kai beating Dunga while Ray took on Joseph. However, without Drigger, it was obvious that Ray had no hope of winning. Suddenly, the portion of tracks they were standing on gave way. Thankfully, everyone was still okay and the battle was still going on. Then, it started to rain.

"The wires… That amount of electricity could destroy the beys…" Marucho pointed out.

Without a second thought, Shun ran over to help Ray. "Wait Shun!" Dan called out but to no avail.

"Let's go Skyress. Let it rip!" Shun joined the battle. "Ray, there is a power box at the corner. Cut off the electricity supply so that it will not endanger anyone. Let me handle Joseph for now."

"All right. Thanks Shun." Ray said before following Shun's advice.

"We can't let that happen. I'm joining in. Let's go Flash Leopard! Let it rip!" Ozuma announced. "Joseph go and handle Ray, I'll handle this guy."

"But… Ozuma… I don't think you should fight against him alone… He is the one with that Limit Break ability…" Joseph warned.

"I know I can handle him. Go!"

Joseph ran off to battle against Ray. Their battle intensified as Ray's determination to help them shown through. Just then, another piece of the railing that was just above Ray fell. When all seemed to have lost, a light shown from the rock and Drigger emerged from within the slab of rock. After destroying the roller coaster railing, Drigger cut off the electricity before returning to Ray's bey. With Drigger by his side, Ray easily defeated Joseph.

Turning around, the same had happened for Kai. However, the battle between Ozuma and Shun had yet to end. As they ran forward to help Shun, Shun said, "Stay back! This is my battle!" It was obvious he meant what he said, so Kai and Ray fell back to watch with everyone else.

They were evenly matched, until Ozuma made his first mistake. "You are not bad. But I haven't even given it my all yet. I'm sure that is all you've got for me."

"Oh yeah? Watch this! Merged attack! Destruction Meteor Storm together with Fire Storm!"

When that attack only caused Ozuma's Flash Leopard to wobble slightly, Shun decided it was time to show Ozuma his true power. "Let's do this Skyress. Limit Break!"

The green tornado that Shun's friends had by now associated with his best attack appeared once more. "Destruction Meteor Storm!" This attack, now twice as powerful, knocked Ozuma's Flash Leopard back. It wobbled, before coming to a complete stop.

Amazed, Ozuma backed away, walking out of the theme park. He was closely followed by the remaining members of the Saint Shields. "Wait up Ozuma! We still have our battle to settle!" Tyson called, running forward and blocking Ozuma's path.

"Alright. Let's start it, here and now." Ozuma challenged. "3, 2, 1, let it rip!"

Their battle began. Both were cautious of the other's strength, neither knowing what to expect since the last time they saw each other. However, both realised at the same time that neither Ozuma nor Tyson was willing to throw the first punch. As a result, both suddenly went full force at one another. Their attacks clashed, causing the appearance of a gigantic crater in front of them. This blast knocked both Ozuma and Tyson to the ground, but both got back up once the dust settled. Their beys were wobbling, on the verge of stopping; however neither stopped giving it their all.

"Give it up Ozuma. You've lost." Tyson said as he struggled to his feet.

"Forget it! It'll take more than that to stop my mission. The mission that my ancestors started. I'll never give up!" Ozuma shouted back. He put up a final stand against Tyson, one that almost destroyed Flash Leopard. However, when that did not stop Tyson's Dragoon, neither he nor his bit beast had any energy left. Both collapsed, Ozuma's bey stopped spinning. Tyson had won the match.

Back at Tyson's house, the Brawlers prepared to leave. Just then, Kenny came running in. "I just got this message from Headquarters. There are new rules for the upcoming tournament. We need 15 bladers to form a team this time. Also, I have a message for the Brawlers." Kenny announced, handing Dan an envelope.

Reading it, the Brawlers' expression turned shocked, then anger followed by determination. "Well then, we'll join you and form a team. It's only fair since the Vexos and the 12 Orders are joining in as a team as well. They will probably come here and join an existing team." Dan remarked

"But, even with you guys with us, we don't have enough bladers." Max commented.

"We'll just make a few arrangements with some friends. They fought alongside us against those teams before. We trust them fully." Alice said.

"Now, for the team name…" Kai said, thinking.

"Let's join both names together! How about the BakuBladers?" Julie asked.

"Sounds awesome! Let's do this together!" Tyson shouted.

_This is the end of part one. Follow up provided in the next Part._


	2. Chapter 2

**BakuBladers**

**Part 2**

**Note:Yeah... 2nd part in and this one is even more bias towards Shun than the last one. **

**Neither anime belong to me btw, just the plot to this thing...**

**Main Characters**

_**BakuBladers:**_

Shun, Dan, Marucho, Runo

Julie, Alice, Keith, Mira,

Ace, Baron, Fabia, Ren

Jake, Kai, Tyson, Ray

Max, Kenny, Hillary

_**Demolition Brawlers:**_

Barodius, Gill, Airzel, Kazerina

Stoica, Nurzak, Zenoheld, Hydron

Mylene, Shadow Prove, Volt

Lynk, Tala, Bryan, Spencer

_At the end of part one, the brawlers and BladeBreakers have decided to join teams with some of the Brawler's friends. They have decided to name the team, the BakuBladers. _

It was the morning after they decided to join forces. Hillary asked, "Are you going to contact your friends any time soon? We need to meet them and start training, so…"

"We were already planning to call them after breakfast." Runo replied.

"When will they arrive?" Tyson asked.

"Probably two hours after we contact them." Marucho answered after thinking for a while.

"Are you sure they can arrive that quickly?" Ray asked.

"Don't worry. They will definitely be here before noon." Julie said confidently.

"If you say so…" Max said with a shrug.

After breakfast, Marucho went off to contact the Resistance while Dan went off to contact their friends in the Castle Knights. All the while, the BladeBreakers stared at them with puzzled expressions.

"Hey Keith. Good to hear you again. We need your help. We are trying to form a team to take part in a tournament, but we don't have enough people, even after teaming up with some new friends. So, will you help?" Marucho asked. After a short pause, Marucho laughed and said, "Thanks Keith! Do you mind helping us tell Mira, Ace and Baron as well? We need all four of you. I'll keep my gauntlet signal up so that you can find us. Thanks again Keith!" After that, he hung up.

With Dan, it was almost the same. "Hi Fabia! It's been some time. Listen, we need your help. We are trying to form a team for a tournament and we need you, Ren and Jake to join the team so that we have enough people to join. The Resistance and our new friends the BladeBreakers are also joining." After another short pause, Dan replied, "I know you are busy as queen, but we really need your help. The 12 Order is there…" There was another pause. "I know right? That's why we need you guys to help us. Thanks a lot. Do you mind telling Jake and Ren as well? All right. So I'll expect all of you to be together. See you later. Just follow Drago's signal. Bye and thanks again!" Dan too hung up after that.

"Did I hear you call one of them Queen, Dan?" Tyson asked.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you. Fabia is the Queen of Neathia and a good friend. She recently took over the role from her sister. Her sister became an alliance between Gundalia, where our friend Ren is from, and Neathia." Dan answered with a smile.

"Right… So, we'll meet them soon right?" Tyson asked, curious.

"That's right. They should be here very soon…" Dan responded just as two dimension portals appeared.

Turning, Dan said, "There they are!"

From the first portal, a guy stepped out first. He was wearing a black and purple coat with black pants and shirt underneath. He had blond hair that was gelled up and had a black mask on. The mask was electronic, and shows electronic blue eyes. Following behind him was a girl. She was wearing a small white jacket with a chocolate brown jumpsuit with boots and leggings of uneven length. She has short orange hair, has blue-green earrings and sapphire-blue eyes. There was also a boy with pale green-blue hair. He was wearing a purple long sleeved shirt with black and grey trimmings, dark purple pants with grey trimmings and black boots. After him, another boy came out of the portal. He was wearing a pale yellow sleeveless shirt with white pants that had grey trimmings and blue boots. He had spiky pink-purple hair that had a red headband over it.

"Hey guys! Long time no see! How have you guys been doing on Vestal?" Dan called over.

"It's nice to see the Brawlers again, especially after chasing away Zenoheld. Things have somewhat returned to normal on Vestal. Thanks for inviting us over for this tournament. I heard that the Vexos will be there…" The boy in the black mask spoke up, taking off his mask. Under it, they could see that he had pale blue eyes that were kinder than they thought. "These must be the BakuBladers. It's nice meeting you. Why don't we introduce ourselves? My name is Keith, but when I'm beyblading, I am usually called Spectra. This is my sister Mira," he continued, gesturing to the girl next to him. "The one in black behind me is Ace and the one in yellow is Baron." He finished.

"That's enough Keith." Mira interrupted. "I was supposed to say that remember? Anyway, With the Brawlers, we made up the Resistance a few years ago against the Vexos."

From the other portal, a girl with dark blue hair and green eyes came out first. She was wearing a white and orange overcoat and yellow and orange suit underneath. She had white boots with blue edges and pink earrings. Following her was a boy with yellow, reptilian eyes. He had silver spiky hair and wore a black shirt with purple patterns on his sleeve, grey jeans and black and purple boots. Behind them, a boy with orange hair that was styled into locks walked out of the portal. He was wearing a green and white shirt with an ochre yellow vest over it. He had on a pair of black and orange pants with brown boots.

"Fabia! Ren! Jake! It's good to see you three again!" Marucho cried waving hello to them.

"Nice to see you too, Marucho." The girl replied, smiling. Turning to the BladeBreakers, she continued, "You must be the BladeBreakers. It's a pleasure to meet you and fight by your side. I'll start the introductions. My name is Fabia and I am the Queen of Neathia." Gesturing to the boy with the spiky silver hair, she continued, "This is Ren. He is currently the Commander of the Gundalian army." Ren smiled and waved. "Last but not least, this is Jake." Fabia finished.

The BladeBreakers introduced themselves to their new teammates. "Alright. Let's start training!" Hillary announced.

"I feel that it is for the best that we have some data on every one of us so that we can train effectively. The only way to do that is by battling." Kenny commented. Everyone was in agreement on the idea and they started battling. At the end of the day, everyone had battled at least once. It was obvious that their new teammates were no pushovers. The only person to have never been defeated was Shun.

"Just curious, which one of you guys is the most skilful?" Kai asked.

Everyone turned to look at Shun. "I suppose…" Shun said.

"I guess that was expected. Who's the second best then?" Max asked.

"It's Ren, Keith or Dan. We don't know which." Julie replied with a shrug.

"I'll analyse the data from today and find out." Kenny replied.

Soon after, it was time for dinner. They talked and ate before falling asleep. As usual, Shun went out to train around midnight and came back later during breakfast. After that, Kenny said, "I have done analysed the data I have from yesterday. The statistics I have shows that Keith is the second best, followed by Dan. Let's start training all right?"

"Hang on. I want to know our main opponent, the team with the 12 Order in it." Fabia interrupted.

"Thankfully, the data has just been sent over. So, shall we look at it first?" Marucho asked.

The e-mail sent to them by the BBA organisation showed that the Vexos, 12 Order and the Russian team, the Demolition Boys, had joined as a team. Their team name: the Demolition Brawlers. Shun tensed up. "So…, Hydron will be there…" He murmured, before walking out the door. Everyone else ran after him but he had gone into the forest and with the head start, no one could catch up with him.

"What was that about?" Max asked. The Brawlers shrugged and shook their heads. By the time Shun returned, it was dinner time. He walked back slowly and his expression told everyone he had something on his mind. They decided not to ask.

They trained hard for the next three weeks coming to the tournament. During that time, they found out that the Resistance had fought against the Vexos with the Brawlers while Jake, Fabia and Ren had fought with them against the 12 Order. They also found out about the wars that had gone on at that time. They too were angry at the Vexos and 12 Order for trying to turn the beys into weapons of war. "How could they? Beyblading is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. They can't just turn their power into a weapon for war just because it would help them win!" Tyson shouted, enraged by this new piece of information. Ray and Max nodded in agreement while Kai silently seethed with anger.

Soon, they boarded a plane heading to Russia, where the tournament is to be held. Thanks to Marucho, they were boarding his private jet. "This is great Marucho! Thanks a lot!" Tyson said happily.

"Hillary can't follow us… Apparently, her parents did not allow her to come along. She told me to tell you guys to do your best and become champion again. She seemed very confident about our ability to win." Kenny said, settling down in his seat.

"That's too bad… It would have been better if she was there personally to cheer us on. Ah well. Hey, where are we staying at while we are at the championships? Where are we going to train?" Tyson asked, realising that they had not talked or discussed about that particular matter.

"We'll be staying at a hotel near my grandfather's house. We'll travel there to train before each round starts. According to the data given, there is a week between each round for the first and the semi-finals. For the finals, the two teams are given two weeks each to train for it. Since we won last year's tournament, the organisers are letting us choose a round to not participate in. So, which round do you want to skip?" Alice asked.

"Well, it would be better to skip the semi-finals. That way, we can watch that match and analyse our opponent's attack and defence strategies from there. Do you guys agree?" Ace asked.

"We already know how the Vexos and the 12 Order play. The only unknown one is the Demolition Boys. They are the only ones we don't know about. We can easily gain that data by watching the first round." Ren argued.

"We should get the most up-to-date information on our opponents instead of just the first round. It would be better if we get the data based on the semi-finals since they are only two weeks away from the finals. If their team is defeated, all the more better since we can fight against some people we have not actually battled against before." Runo said.

"Actually, if this is about fighting against people we don't know, wouldn't we just have to exchange opponents? That way, we know about them, yet have not fought against them before." Jake commented.

Everyone fell silent. "That is a good point Jake…" Marucho said. "As for the match we shall skip the semi-finals so that we can get an updated account of their strength. If we participate in the semi-finals, who knows if we will fight against them…" He continued.

After thinking about it, everyone was in agreement with the plan. They landed in Russia a few moments later. They put on the coats provided and walked out into the snow. "The driver is supposed to pick us up here soon…" Marucho said.

Soon, the coach arrived and took them to their hotel where they settled down. Alice, Runo and Julie had a room together while Mira and Fabia shared a room. Dan and Marucho were in a room, Ray and Tyson in another, Ace and Baron shared another room. Jake and Max had a room, Ren and Keith had another while Shun and Kai were in the same room. Everyone settled in and they went off to Alice's grandfather's house for their training session.

"Alice! It's nice to see you again!" Alice's grandfather, Dr Michael said when they met. "The Brawlers! What a nice surprise. But, who are these?" He quizzed, looking at the BladeBreakers.

"Dr Michael, these are our friends and new teammates, the BladeBreakers." Dan introduced them.

"New teammates? What for?" he asked.

"For the upcoming tournament. Our old enemies are all there and the rules stated that we needed much more people in a team. So, we decided to join forces after helping them out a while ago." Alice replied with a smile.

"I see. You did tell me about coming here to train…" Dr Michael said to himself.

"Well then, let's get started." Runo said.

They began their training session. However, moments after they started, Shun left and went into the woods nearby. "Shun! Wait! We are supposed to be training together! Shun!" Mira cried but to no avail. Shun did not even give them a backwards glance.

They had no choice but to continue training without Shun. They had decided on two substitute members, seeing as only fifteen of them can play. The substitute members were Max and Baron. Although disappointed, they accepted their roles and helped the others train to the best of their abilities. It was only after they finished their training and were about to leave that Shun returned. "What did you leave for Shun?" Jake asked.

"There is no need for you to inquire." He replied.

"Come on Shun." Max pleaded.

"I am not going to repeat myself." Shun replied before sitting down in the coach. He then fell silent and remained so for the journey back to the hotel.

After dinner, back in the rooms, Dan could not fall asleep. Neither could Marucho. They were both thinking about Shun's action earlier that day. "Hey, Marucho. What do you think Shun went off to do just now? He was gone for the entire training session." Dan asked.

"How should I know? This is the first time he has ever walked out on us during training. Knowing him, it's best not to ask him about it. He will probably stop it soon, once he has gotten what he wants. He looked quite pleased during dinner, maybe he has achieved what he wanted to." Marucho replied.

"You are probably right. After all, it isn't the first time he has done something without telling us." Dan said after thinking about it.

"Let's get to sleep or we will not be able to wake up tomorrow. Then, Runo, Hillary and Mira will kill us. Goodnight." Marucho commented before falling asleep.

"You're right. Goodnight Marucho." Dan replied laughing.

The next training however, the same thing happened. It happened all through the week before the tournament. Everyone was puzzled at his behaviour and was curious about what he did in the woods. "Why don't we follow him? That might work." Ren suggested, two nights before the tournament.

"No! We did that before and he got so mad at us. It took quite a while to get him to forgive us for that. We definitely do not want a replay of that incident this close to the tournament." Julie replied.

Soon, the week was up. The BakuBladers set off to the tournament building for the first round. "I am your commenter for this year's tournament. Let's see how this tournament will be played." The commenter announced. "This year, the teams are made to be much larger than before. It is compulsory for each team to have fifteen players and one substitute player. This will cause the matches to last much longer than before. The first two rounds will be played with one battle per person while the finals will be played with three battles per person. The first team with eight victories will be the winner. For the finals, the winner of each match will be the one who wins two out of the three matches!" The commenter finished.

The teams left for their team rooms for the first time. There, they prepared for their first match. "All right. The final preparations are done. Why don't we go and explore this stadium?" Ren asked.

"Sounds good to us." Everyone replied.

As they walked down the corridor, someone called over. "Brawlers! I never expected to see you here."

They turned around, only to see a boy with silver hair and green eyes. He was wearing black boots and white pants that were matched with a top that looked like it belonged in the 15th century instead of in the 21st. "Klaus! Good to see you again! I didn't think you would be here either!" Dan exclaimed as they walked over.

"Erm, sorry, but who are you?" Tyson asked.

"I'm sorry I did not introduce myself. My name is Klaus von Hertzon. This is my team." Klaus introduced. His team was in fact made up of more separate teams. There were Ray's old teammates, the China team and Max's old team, the American team. There were also the Brawlers old friends, those who had been brainwashed by Masquerade at first, but fought against Naga later. There was also one unexpected player.

"Gunz! What are you doing here? You joined their team? Why did you join this tournament?" Dan asked, puzzled.

"I wanted another shot at defeating you Dan. This would be that chance." Gunz replied.

Meanwhile, the team members were catching up and remembering old memories. Soon, however, they had to go out to the stadium for their matches. "Dan, will you promise me not to lose until we meet each other in the finals? That is if we do not meet each other earlier." Klaus asked.

"Sure thing Klaus! Promise us as well okay?" Dan replied.

"Of course Dan. It will be my honour to." Klaus said with a smile.

They entered the stadium together. "All right! It is now time for the first round to begin. Last year's winner have chosen not to play the next round, which gives us a nice even number every round. This round, the three matches will be played simultaneously. Only the winners will be allowed to go back to their team rooms. Once all the battles are over, the winning teams will come back out to see who they will be facing and also for the audience to see the teams and their members. For this purpose, a mini parade will be held after the first round. Now, without further ado, let the first round begin!" The commenter opened the route to the first round. The BakuBladers walked out onto the stadium they would be fighting in.

"For this tournament, unlike the last one, no fancy dishes will be used in the first two rounds. We will be using the classic dish. For the finals, the dish will be decided then. More information will be given when the time comes." The commenter said, introducing the stadium dishes.

"Who should play in the first game?" Marucho asked.

Everyone fell silent thinking. Then, Shun unexpectedly spoke up, saying, "I'll go."

"Are you sure Shun? This seems a little too easy for you. It isn't like you to go for such matches." Fabia said.

However, Shun was already walking up to the stadium dish. "The BakuBladers have chosen their blader and it seems to be Shun Kazami! He uses Skyress as his partner bit beast and seems to be the most skilful in the team. Let's see the skill he is known for!"

The battle commenced. However, it did not last long. From the beginning, it was obvious that Shun would win. His opponent was clearly out of his league. Soon, it seemed that Shun had had enough. He called out Skyress and used his Destruction Meteor Storm attack. It caused his opponent a stadium out, giving the BakuBladers the win.

"That was quick…" Ace muttered.

"I'll go next." Keith said.

"Keith!" Mira protested.

"It'll be fine Mira. I will not lose that easily." Keith replied, putting on his mask. He took on the personality of Spectra.

The next battle started and Spectra quickly called out his Infinity Helios. His opponent, being already wary of his power, was scared even further by Helios' appearance. "Go Helios! Show them your power! Destroy Quasar!" Spectra cried as Helios attacked with his special move. This earned the BakuBladers yet another win. When Fabia, their next player stepped up, it was obvious that the other team had lost hope of winning against them. Fabia called out Aranaut and easily won the battle.

By the time Ace, the BakuBladers' fourth player for the first round went up to play, the other team had lost all hope and all Ace had to do was call out Percival and use a minor skill to defeat his opponent. Their subsequent four battles were won in a similar way as well. With the eight wins, the BakuBladers returned to their team room.

"That was boring. They were too afraid to even put up a fight." Dan complained when they arrived at the team room.

"The first match against Shun already made them nervous and afraid of our other bladers. It was no fun at all, not interesting in the slightest…" Ace commented, agreeing with Dan.

They were soon called out for the mini parade. They took their places at the opening of the tunnel that would lead them to the stadium field. They walked out to the sound of cheering from the crowds. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could see Klaus' team already there. Smiling, they were glad that Klaus and his teammates had kept their promise and won the first round. "I guess it would have been as easy for them as well. With our old rivals there, I would not expect them to have lost, at least not in the first round." Marucho commented.

They turned to face the crowd. Soon after, the final team appeared. The BakuBladers waited to see who would be their friend's next opponent.

They walked out of the tunnel slowly, lead by Barodius. Following him was the remaining members of what was once the 12 Order. They were Gill, Airzel, Kazerina, Nurzak and Stoica. Behind them followed the Demolition Boys, whose main players were Tala, Bryan and Spencer. Behind the three of them was their substitute member. Lastly, there was the Vexos. Their line up was different with the weakest in front. Lynk, Volt, Shadow Prove, Mylene, Hydron and finally Zenoheld. Their team had their three most powerful bladers at both ends of the line as well as at the middle. They walked forward and as the 12 Order got closer to the BakuBladers, Fabia and Ren both grew tense. This passed as soon as the 12 Order walked past them. However, when they stopped, Hydron and Shun ended up standing at the same position. As they stopped for the crowd, Shun tensed up and his hands were balled into fists. When the Demolition Brawlers turned to move to their designated spot, Hydron turned his head to face Shun. The tension from Shun at that time could be felt by everyone there. Hydron then smirked before walking off to the back of the three teams. It was clear that it was taking all Shun's self-control not to challenge Hydron there and then.

"Shun…" Dan, who was next to Shun, whispered warningly. Kai, who was standing on his other side, stood there silently, observing Shun's reaction. After some time, they returned to their team room.

"Why were you so tense just now, Shun? What happened?" Kai asked.

"…"

"Dan?" Kai asked.

"Well…" Dan said, hesitating. He looked at Shun.

"Tell them then. I suppose they need to know now…" Shun said, before turning around and walking out of the room.

"Where is Shun going?" Max asked.

"He's probably just outside. This isn't a memory he likes thinking about…" Alice replied.

"Remember when we told you about Hydron? He took Skyress from Shun right?" Dan began. When they all nodded, he continued. "After that, Shun started training like crazy. It was like he trained 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After that, he took on Hydron again and won. This is as far as we told you before. We actually left out something. Towards the end of that battle, it could have still gone either way. It was obvious that Shun was more skilful, but Hydron had his bit-beast with him and had called it out. This put Shun in a huge disadvantage. However, he still fought on with everything he had. Then, just as it seemed like he was going to lose, Skyress returned to him. He called her out and they won that battle together. Also, at that time, Shun had already mastered 'Limit Break'. He used it the moment he got her back. However, he has not forgiven Hydron for imprisoning Skyress all that time. Up till today, he still trains as hard as he did before, so that he can give Hydron a taste of his own medicine…" Dan finished, looking at the closed door.

"However, that determination changed him." Marucho added.

"In what way?" Tyson asked.

"He used to be much more carefree and open than he is now. After that incident, he just closed up, even to us." Alice replied, a little sadly.

"Now you know. I want to, no, need to defeat Hydron or at least one of his team members." Shun said, walking back into the room.

"But if Klaus and his team defeat them… We won't have to fight them at all. They would have taken your revenge for you Shun." Baron commented.

"If Klaus beats them, I would still hunt them down and beat them myself." Shun said.

"Ha… Good joke Shun… You were joking right?" Jake asked. It was clear from Shun's face that he was not.

"Shun, you know you can't do this like that. If we are going to defeat the Demolition Brawlers, we are going to do it as a team." Mira said.

"I fully agree. Shun, you don't have to do this by yourself. We will do it together as a team." Fabia said.

"Fine. I'm going out to train…" Shun said, before walking out the door.

"I don't think it would be all that pleasant for Shun to battle Hydron again. Things would probably get out of hand. Remember what happened the last time he was in a battle that reminded him of losing Skyress? I'm sure that it would be a few times worse if he battles the person who caused it…" Ray said.

"I agree. I'll take Hydron on if we battle them in the finals." Kai spoke up.

"Huh? You're volunteering to battle Hydron, Kai? That's unusual…" Max commented.

"Watch out. He might seem weak at first, but he can be cunning. Along with the fact that he has great skills, he will not be easy to beat." Baron warned.

"Don't worry. I think I'm up for it." Kai said.

"All right, if you say so…" Keith said.

"Since we are on that topic, we should go back to train. Let's head to Dr Michaels' house to train. Otherwise, we might end up losing…" Ren said.

"Stop being so pessimistic Ren. I'm sure we can win. But I agree that we should follow Shun and get back to training." Fabia said.

"Does anyone actually know where Shun is? We should tell him where we are going right?" Baron asked.

"I don't know Baron… No one knows where he is. If he wants to be found, he will let himself be found…" Ace replied.

"Ace is right. He'll probably come find us if he wants to. Let's go for some training." Fabia agreed.

They set off for Dr Michael's house. "Let's see how we have improved so far. We'll have another battle among ourselves. I'll collect the data and analyse it. Then we shall compare it to the winner of the semi-finals. We should be able to see how much we have to improve by during the two weeks given that way." Kenny suggested.

"What about Shun? I'm going to guess that he won't be showing up for training later." Ren said.

"We'll just see when we can do it then. I don't think that it is a good idea to force him into anything at the moment. He does not seem very happy or relaxed." Dan replied with a slight frown.

They began their training for that day. With their statistics all on the rise, they were satisfied with their progress. As predicted, Shun did not turn up to train with them at all. In fact, the next time they saw him was at dinner in their hotel's restaurant. After dinner, Dan pulled Kai aside. "Kai, do you think you could keep an eye on him at night? I have a feeling he has been leaving at night as well. It would help to know that he at least gets some rest instead of practising all day…" he whispered to Kai.

"Sure thing Dan…" Kai answered.

That night, Kai kept to his agreement with Dan and kept as close an eye on Shun as he could. It turned out that Shun did indeed leave at night for two hours. In the morning, Kai told everyone else what he had seen when Shun left for the day.

"I'm not surprised. I suppose having Hydron here together with so many others he has faced before has put him on edge." Ren said.

"I agree with Ren. He has never completely forgotten his first fight against Hydron…" Keith commented, nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, it's no use pondering over that. If Shun wants to tell us, he will." Fabia said. "We might as well get on with training." She finished.

They agreed and carried on with their training. The next five days passed quickly. During that time, they trained hard, preparing for the tough battles in the finals. However, it seemed that the one person who trained harder than anyone else was Shun. Though they never saw him during their training sessions and only saw him during breakfast and lunch, it was obvious he was training during that time. He always came back with a slight frown and was always deep in thought. On the second last night before the semi-finals, they decided to ask him.

"Shun, where have you been during our training sessions and what have you been doing?" Alice asked.

"…"

"Come on Shun. We are just honestly curious." Dan said.

"Training."

"Why don't you train with us, since you do it anyway?" Jake asked.

"I have my reasons." Shun replied before standing up and leaving.

That morning, Shun arrived late for breakfast. "Where have you been? You disappeared and didn't answer your phone!" Dan exclaimed when Shun arrived.

"I was in the forests…" Shun replied with a slight smile.

"You seem satisfied today Shun. Any particular reason?" Keith asked.

Shun smiled and took out Skyress. Even from afar, it was obvious that she was different. "Is that really Skyress Shun?" Kai asked.

"Yes and no…" Shun replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Ray asked.

"Skyress has evolved. She is now Storm Skyress." Shun said smiling.

"Shun… you managed to do that, in one night?" Dan asked, shocked.

"Of course not. What do you think I have been training for?" Shun asked.

"So that's what you have been up to lately… you could have told us." Marucho said.

"We were wondering for the whole week." Julie said.

"Hey! I need to check Skyress' new statistics. It'll be easier for us to train that way. Is it all right if I borrow Skyress for a while Shun? Just to check the new data." Kenny asked.

"Fine…" Shun replied.

The fact that Shun had managed to get Skyress to evolve had everyone else training even harder than ever. This time, Shun, having gotten what he had trained for, helped the rest of the BakuBladers to train and improve.

"This is amazing! Skyress' statistics have all increased like crazy!" Kenny exclaimed while running towards the team with the news.

"Seriously? They increased by that much?" Jake asked, surprised.

"All through just one evolution… Wow…" Kai said.

Spurred on by Shun's ability and Skyress' evolution, the team practiced well into the night. They went back to the hotel, had dinner, before preparing for the semi-finals the next day. That night, no one stirred; even Shun did not leave for his normal night training.

In the morning, they made an early start for the semi-finals. Along the way to the stands, they met with Klaus and his teammates. "Good luck. The Demolition Brawlers are a strong team from what we have heard." Max said to his friend, Rick, a member of the All Stars. They had joined up with Klaus and the White Tigers.

"That advice is a good one. We have personal experiences with them as the Brawlers. Watch out guys." Mira said.

"Don't worry. We have fought against the Vexos before as well remember. We learnt valuable lessons from there and from other battles. We will hold our side of the promise; you don't have to worry about that." Klaus said confidently.

"The semi-finals are about to begin. Competing teams please make your way to the stadium." An announcement was heard around the stadium.

"Well, that's our cue. See you guys later." Klaus said and they went their separate ways.

"It's time for the semi-finals! It will be played like the first round and the winner of this round will face the defending champions in the finals!" The commenter announced. "The first battle will be between Gunz and Kazerina. Gunz's bit beast is Reptak and Kazerina is fighting with her partner bit beast, Lumagrowl."

Both stepped up to the stadium. "3, 2, 1, let it rip!" they cried at the same time, starting the battle. They seemed equal at first, neither willing to give the other the satisfaction of pushing them back. Both had also called out their bit beasts at the same time. However, Gunz's determination to battle Dan again shone through, slowly, but surely.

"You are quite a good blader, I'll give you that. But, you are no match for me." Kazerina said to Gunz. She followed this with a straight direct blow to Reptak. Fortunately, Reptak managed to hang on.

"I want to and will fight against Dan in the finals. So, how can I lose to someone like you here?" Gunz replied. He followed that with a large number of continuous attacks on Lumagrowl. The battle carried on like that for some time. However, it became increasingly obvious that Lumagrowl was slowing down much more than Reptak was. Seeing his chance, Gunz launched a final continuous volley of attacks, sending Lumagrowl flying and ending the battle in a sleepout.

Gunz returned to his team triumphantly. "The next battle is between the two captains of the teams, Klaus and Tala. We all hope to see an exciting battle between these two strong bladers!" the commenter announced, as both Klaus and Tala stepped up to the stadium.

The battle commenced. Both seemed to be on equal ground at first. That was until both of them called out their bit beasts. Then, slowly, Tala began to overpower Klaus and Sirenoid.

"Whoa… Is that guy actually defeating Klaus? He must be really good. Klaus isn't that easy to beat." Baron commented with a shocked look on his face.

"That's the strength of Tala. He was the leader of the Demolition Boys too, that was before they became the Demolition Brawlers of course." Kai explained.

Shun, however, seemed uninterested in this battle, as he did with the previous one.

After some time, the battle ended. Klaus walked back to his team in defeat.

"That was quite a shocking battle… That was quite a battle that ended up in a win for the Demolition Brawlers!" the commenter announced. "Next up is the battle between Rick and Hydron! Let's see what kind of battle they give us!"

It was then Shun paid full attention to the battle. 'Could this be due to Hydron playing?' Kai wondered. Just then, the battle started.

It was clear from the start that Rick was out of his league against Hydron. Although Rick attacked Hydron with many head-on attacks, Hydron was unfazed. "I won't be defeated that easily. If you think such small attacks can hurt me, think again!" Hydron said, laughing. Hydron then counter-attacked. Soon, the match was over.

"Whoa… That was fast… I can't believe someone took down Rick that easily. He is actually a really powerful blader." Max said his voice and face reflecting the shock that he felt. That shock was mirrored on everyone's face, everyone except Shun's. After the battle, Shun simply lost interest in the semi-final battles.

However, Klaus and his team stood no chance of a comeback. After another six battles, the semi-finals were over. The Demolition Brawlers had won and would be the BakuBladers' opponents in the finals.

"Come on. Let's go and see Klaus and his teammates. They might need the moral support right now. It was quite a devastating loss." Mira suggested.

They agreed and walked towards Klaus' team room.

Inside, they met up with Klaus and his teammates. "Sorry guys… We couldn't hold up our side of the promise…" Chan Lee apologised.

"It's fine… Don't worry about it." Julie answered with a consoling smile.

"You are up against them in the finals. I know how good you guys are, but they are a strong team. Watch out for them." Lee warned.

"We know that Lee. Thanks for the tip anyhow." Ray answered.

"The Demolition Brawlers are made up of the three strongest teams we have ever met and are partnered with very strong bit beasts. The Vexos, 12 Order and Demolition boys together make a powerful team. They could be the most powerful team we have ever come across…" Dan admitted.

"I see… Well, you have two more weeks to train for the finals. We want to help in any way possible." Klaus said.

"Thanks for the offer Klaus. We appreciate it." Baron replied.

Soon, they left. "It's hard to see them after they got defeated so badly…" Tyson commented.

"Yeah…" Jake agreed.

"They are our friends. Of course it's hard. Right Shun?" Dan asked, turning around, only to see Shun walking away.

"Kinda…" Shun called back as he continued walking.

"Wait up Shun!" Ren shouted. "Let's go after him Ace."

"All right." Ace answered. They started forward but were then stopped by Keith.

"What are you doing Keith? Don't stop us from getting Shun back!" Ace shouted at Keith.

"Don't. I think he needs to be alone right now." Keith replied.

"I agree with Keith. He has always been like this hasn't he? We might as well let him be. In fact, I'm guessing he went off to train by himself." Fabia said.

They decided not to follow Shun and start their training without him. The BBA had provided them with their training facilities. After their training for the day, they returned to the hotel. However, Shun wasn't there yet. They relaxed in the pool and in their rooms until it was time for dinner. When they got to the restaurant, however, Shun was already there. "Shun! Where have you been?" Marucho asked.

"Training for something. Don't ask what it is." Shun said, adding the second sentence in anticipation of the next question.

"I see…" Keith replied.

They discussed strategies while eating before turning in for the day. That night, Kai couldn't sleep and started thinking. 'Training again huh? Whatever for, I wonder…' Just then, he heard movements in the room and pretended to be asleep. He noticed Shun opening the window of their room and launching himself out into the night. 'Interesting…' Kai thought and decided to confide in the others in the morning.

However, when they met up and went down for breakfast, Shun was already sitting at the table, a cup of tea in his hand. "What is it?" he asked, looking at their surprised faces.

"Nothing…" Baron replied, smiling nervously. "Nothing at all."

"I see…" Shun replied, before standing up to get his breakfast. After eating, he left and didn't return. This pattern continued for the rest of the week, all the way until the morning of the ninth day of the two weeks of training.

On the ninth day, Shun once again was at breakfast before everyone else. When they all got their breakfast and sat down, they noticed that Shun was visibly more satisfied than before. "Hey Shun. You done with your training?" Ray asked, expecting to get the usual silence as an answer.

"Yeah…" Shun replied, smiling slightly. This time, he did not take off right after his breakfast. Instead, Shun waited for everyone to finish their meals before leaving together. When they set off for the training facility, instead of leaving as he usually did, Shun went along with them, much to the surprise of the rest of the BakuBladers.

"Does anyone else get the feeling that Shun is acting way different from previously? He seems totally different today." Marucho said.

"Of course we noticed. He seems much more satisfied than before…" Kenny said. Just then, they arrived at the training facility. When they entered, they met up with Klaus and his teammates.

"Hey Klaus! Good to see you again! What brings you here?" Runo asked.

"We wanted to help you in any way we can. So, here we are. We were thinking of teaching you some of our special moves to help you beat the Demolition Brawlers. If you agree, of course." Klaus said.

"We would love to have you guys help us." Baron replied with a smile.

"Thanks for letting us help. Where is Shun by the way? I wanted to show him some new moves I picked up." Komba said.

"He's right behind… Wait. Where did he go?" Dan was about to reply when he noticed Shun had gone elsewhere.

"Shun's over there…" Kai replied Komba. He pointed to another side of the training room where a small discussion room was provided. From the windows, they could see Shun inside, meditating.

"Why would he be doing that here? Aren't you here to train?" Emily asked.

"Actually, he usually isn't here at all. We were surprised that he came along with us at all." Max told her.

"No kidding. In fact, I'm expecting him to take off again later on…" Ray commented.

"What kind of teammate is that?" Mariah asked.

"It's just the way he is… Now at least…" Ray replied.

"I see. Still, doesn't he need to train for the finals?" Lee asked.

"Not exactly sure about that… He seems to have trained enough these last eight days. Anyway, currently, he is much stronger than any of us. Not that he shows it…" Ray replied uncertainly.

"He'll train alright. When he feels that he needs it. Today just doesn't seem to be one of those days." Ace commented.

"Enough talking… We are here to train so let's get to it!" Tyson said enthusiastically.

Laughing they agreed and started their training. However, halfway through, Kenny started calling them together. "What is it Kenny? We are in the middle of a training session here." Tyson complained.

"I've just seen the statistics of the Demolition Brawlers. Their strength is way higher than any of ours right now. I think we should think about learning Limit Break. That might give us a better chance of winning." Kenny said.

"That's a great idea! Except… who's going to teach us?" Jake asked.

"It's not going to be that difficult to get someone to teach us, especially since we have someone on the team who can already use Limit Break." Keith said, looking in Shun's direction.

"That's right! With Shun teaching us, I'm sure we can learn it no problem at all." Tyson said, excitedly.

"Wait up." Kai interrupted.

"What is it Kai?" Ren asked. "Do you have an objection to the idea?"

"No. But Shun might. How do we know if he'll agree to teach us in the first place?" Kai asked.

"… You have a point there…" Kenny said, thinking. "Why don't we ask him?"

"That's a great idea Kenny! Except, who's going to be the one to ask him?" Fabia asked. Everyone turned to look at Dan.

"Me? Why me?" Dan asked, suspiciously.

"You and Shun have been friends since you two were kids Dan. Of course you should go." Marucho replied.

"Fine… But no guarantees." Dan said resignedly. He walked to Shun and hesitantly tapped his shoulder.

"Shun…, not interrupting you or anything, but I need to discuss something with you… We want you to teach us Limit Break. We need that skill to defeat the Demolition Brawlers." Dan said nervously, waiting for Shun to get mad at him.

"…"

"Well Shun?"

"…"

"So…?"

"…Fine, only if you guys want to…" Shun replied, finally stopping his meditation. Both walked back to the team together. Shun started teaching them the basics of how to use Limit Break.

"To start it in the first place, focus all your strength to one point and let it out in one attack. That's all there is to it." Shun explained.

"That was less complicated than I thought it would be… Let's try!" Tyson said, excited at the prospect of learning the new skill. However, their first try was not as successful as they hoped and the effect was barely visible, quite unlike the tornado that Shun usually conjures up.

"Why is the effect so small?" Mira asked, confused by the result.

"That's why I said it was simply to start it up. To make it more powerful, you have to let your emotions through the attack together. That takes more practice to master." Shun replied, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

"I see… Why didn't you tell us that at first? That first try made us look completely stupid!" Dan shouted, complaining.

"Basics always come first Dan." Shun replied, smiling a little. "Continue practicing on your own. You don't need me there to look on." He continued before turning and walking away. Resigned, they carried on practice without Shun.

"I don't think that is the real reason he didn't explain further at first…" Max commented after some time.

"Obviously it was not… If he wanted to, he would have told us everything there is to know then leave, letting us figure and sort out what he said on his own. He must have some ulterior motive of doing that…" Ren replied.

"Yeah, but what is it?" Ray asked.

"Who knows? The Shun I know won't tell you what he's feeling or thinking unless he wants to. It doesn't help us standing around wondering about it, let's get back to practicing." Fabia said before turning back to the stadium behind her.

They practiced with Klaus, Lee, Rick and the rest of their team for the entire day. At the end of it, everyone was exhausted from battling and learning Limit Break. "That was the most tiring training I've ever had in my life! I wonder how Shun mastered that…" Jake asked.

"Are we leaving?" Shun's voice suddenly came from behind them. All of them jumped, looking around wildly before realising that he was walking over.

"Yeah… We were just about to call you out…" Marucho said, smiling. They left the facility for the hotel. The whole of next week, it was the same thing except Shun joined them in training. They could see that he was serious about the finals, especially about defeating or at least seeing Hydron being defeated in the finals.

Soon, their two weeks were over. It was time for the finals, for them to face the Demolition Brawlers.

"All right! It's time for the matches you have been waiting for, the final round! Who will emerge the champions? Will it be the team who is defending their title, last year's winners, the BakuBladers? Or will it be the team who almost clinched the title last year, the Demolition Brawlers? It seems to be a rematch between these two teams, let's see what they have to give us!" The commenter announced. "For the finals, the forty-five battles will be taken over five days in total with nine matches each day. This means three bladers from each team will play per day. The line up does not have to be submitted, so each team can assign opponents according to when they arrive at the stadium. The stadium dishes will be decided by chance by this bingo machine!" He gestured to a towering machine that contained many slips of papers, each specifying a specific dish. "Although most of the dishes are classic dishes, there are also specially designed dishes to be used in the finals. It's all down to your luck at that point in time." The commenter continued. "Without further ado, let's welcome the first match up!" He finished.

"All right Runo, you're up for this one. Watch out okay? Don't get too winded up if they play any tricks. Knowing the Demolition Boys, there may well be traps around." Kai warned.

"That and the fact that the Vexos are with them as well…" Mira said, trailing off into silence.

"Don't worry. I'll watch out." Runo assured them, stepping up to the field. As she did, so did Stoica.

"Stoica… Runo, watch out! He's a tricky one! Don't let anything wind you up or you will lose!" Ren shouted a warning.

"Thanks for the heads up Ren! But I don't think I'll need it, I have this in the bag." Runo said confidently.

"Runo! Don't get overconfident! He will play on that!" Fabia warned, but to no avail. Runo had already left for the choice of stadium.

"It is time for the stadium choices! Let's go!" The commenter announced. He activated the machine that immediately spouted out a coloured ball. The commenter opened it and read the written words out loud. "The classic dish. That is the dish that will be used for this battle. Let the first one begin!"

They released their beys into the dish. "Why don't you just give up Stoica? I will be the one winning this battle." Runo claimed boldly.

"Don't be so sure about that. Take a look at the battle that is going on right now." Stoica said sniggering.

The battle was obviously going Stoica's way. Tigrerra was already on the edge of the stadium dish. It was clear that one more hit would send her flying. "How did that happen? Tigrerra! Hold on!" Runo shouted, trying to regain her composure.

"It's no use Runo. You have lost." Stoica said, before attacking Tigrerra once again, sending her flying in a stadium out.

Both of them returned to their teams. "I'm sorry… I should have listened… It cost us the match…" Runo apologised.

"The battle you mean? This isn't over yet. You still have two more battles before this match is over." Mira said, smiling encouragingly.

"The next battle, you have to try your best to win, no matter what. Use it. Use what you learned." Keith advised.

"I will." Runo simply replied.

Both Stoica and Runo returned to the stadium dish.

"Have you come back for more Runo?" Stoica asked in a mocking tone.

"I was off guard the last battle. It will not happen again. This time, there will be no holding back at all." Runo said.

They started the battle. Soon, both had already called out their bit beasts. "Come on Tigrerra; let's finish this off as quickly as we can. We have to try, even though we have not mastered it yet. Let's do it now! Limit Break!" Runo declared.

Nothing happened.

"What's going on? Why can't I…" Runo questioned herself.

"Balista, now!" Stoica said as his bey attacked Tigrerra directly, again and again.

"Tigrerra! No! Come on…, Limit Break!" Runo said in desperation.

"Shun… Why isn't it working for her? Shun, she needs the advice!" Dan exclaimed.

"She is too tense right now. She isn't concentrating on performing Limit Break, she simply wants it to work her way. Limit Break is not something you can talk into working for you…" Shun replied, his eyes closed.

"Runo! Calm down and concentrate on the battle at hand!" Julie screamed.

"How can I when Stoica is attacking me directly?" Runo screamed back.

They looked at Shun.

"There is a way…" he replied.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

Just then, the battle ended. Tigrerra flew out of the ring. Runo had lost. Stoica and Runo returned to their teams.

"Sorry… I was thrown off my game…" Runo said dejectedly.

"It's all right Runo… So Shun, what were you going to say?" Keith asked.

"…"

"Shun…" Max whined.

"It doesn't matter now." Shun replied.

"I guess… Anyway, I'm up next. I should get going…" Ray answered with a shrug.

"Yeah… Good luck Ray. Win one back for us alright?" Tyson said, smiling.

Ray nodded before going off to look at the dish he would use, as well as his opponent. When he arrived at the platform, he saw Lynk, a member of the Vexos.

"So… you are my next opponent. You don't look so difficult to defeat." Lynk said pompously.

"We'll see later in the battle." Ray replied, his confidence intact.

"All right! Let's see the dish choice for the next round!" The commenter announced, picking up the coloured ball from the machine. "The dish chosen is… The mountain dish! This dish is a tricky one. It has the hills, mountains and bamboo forests of China all over it. Too get one place to another, you must be able to smash all that or go above!" The commenter said, introducing the first special dish.

'With all the training I did with Shun previously, this will be easy for me to manoeuvre in this place.' Ray thought.

"What! What sort of dish is that suppose to be?" Lynk exclaimed. "Guess I don't have a choice…" he continued, frowning.

The battle started. However, Lynk was too occupied trying to get Heredy, his bit beast, to move around to get to Drigger who was speeding above all the obstacles. Soon, Ray moved in for the kill, using his special move, Tiger Claw to finish Heredy off very quickly. "No fair! I was distracted!" Lynk complained when his bey flew out of the stadium.

"It's within the rules Lynk. Don't be such a baby!" Ace shouted over.

"I'll find out a way next battle. Watch out! I have not forgotten you, Resistance!" Lynk shouted back before walking off the platform.

"That was great Ray!" Max congratulated Ray when he got back to them.

"But don't celebrate just yet. That wasn't Heredy's full strength…" Shun said. "Be careful in the next battle. Try to win the next one. That would bring you victory in this match." He continued. "Use Limit Break if needed." Shun finished.

"Yeah… all right Shun." Ray agreed before walking off for the next battle.

They started the next battle and called out their bit beasts from the very beginning. "You can't attack what you can't see! Heredy, Shadow Oppressor!" Lynk shouted and Heredy seemingly disappeared.

"Where did he go…?" Ray wondered aloud in frustration.

"Use what you learnt Ray. There is one move in particular that can and will stop this move." Shun advised.

"… Oh yeah! Thanks Shun!" Ray said, realisation hitting him. "Drigger! Let's use that move Julio taught us. Flare Blinder!"

"No! My 'Shadow Oppressor'!" Lynk shouted in dismay. Slowly, Heredy returned into the visible spectrum.

"Ha! Now, Limit Break!" Ray shouted.

"His statistics have increased by 50%." Kenny reported.

"Not perfect, but still powerful…" Baron commented.

"Now, Drigger! Attack!" Ray commanded, ending that battle and the match.

"Awesome! Now let's get the last battle of the day done and over with! You're up, Ren." Dan exclaimed.

Ren nodded and walked over to the choosing of dishes. When the coloured ball came out, it was announced that they would be playing on a classic dish. "Nothing special for me, huh?" Shadow Prove, Ren's opponent said bitterly.

They went to the platform where the dish had just appeared. "I will not be making any mistakes in dragging out this battle Shadow. I am going to go full out from the beginning." Ren warned.

"Do what you want, I will still win." Shadow Prove said confidently.

The battle began and Ren immediately called out Linehalt. "Linehalt, we are not going to hold back. Let's go, Limit Break!" Ren announced, much to the amazement of his team, opponent and the spectators.

"Already…?" Julie questioned. No one answered. No one knew how to.

"It is the same as Ray's. It works up to 50%." Kenny reported once again. However, that increase was enough for Linehalt to send Shadow Prove's bey flying out of the stadium.

"I haven't even called out my bit beast yet…!" Shadow Prove complained bitterly.

"Too bad." Ren said before turning around to walk back.

"That was a bold move Ren." Fabia said as Ren walked back.

"Yeah, I know. But I have a secret up my sleeve that I can use." Ren said mysteriously before heading off to prepare for the next battle.

When the second battle started, Ren once again called forth Linehalt and tried using Limit Break. When Shadow Prove saw that, he too called forth his bit beast, Centaurion. However, this time, it failed to work. After trying for some times, giving Shadow Prove that many openings to attack, Ren gave up trying. "Linehalt, activate the forbidden power now!" Ren commanded.

Linehalt seemed to hesitate before unleashing a power they had never seen before. It kicked up a giant cloud of dust. When the dust settled, the only remaining bey in the stadium was Linehalt. Ren had won the match, winning two battles.

"What was that Ren?" Kai asked.

"A forbidden power that I rarely use. This time, it was only used up to a quarter of its true potential." Ren explained.

"You can explain on the way back to the hotel. Let's go, it's already late." Alice said, walking out of the stadium building.

They agreed and walked back to their hotel. On the way back, Ren continued explaining. "Linehalt has a special power that can be used in certain circumstances. However, due to its power, it is considered forbidden under normal circumstances unless in a true battle, like earlier on." Ren finished.

"So that was what it was…" Kai said quietly.

They soon arrived at the hotel. "All right. We have to continue the battles tomorrow, so let's all rest up tonight alright?" Kenny asked with a smile.

Everyone else nodded in agreement before leaving for their rooms. The next morning, after breakfast, they once again went to the stadium for their next three matches.

"Marucho, it's your turn isn't it? Good luck!" Alice said when they arrived at the stadium.

"Yeah. Thanks Alice." Marucho replied with a nervous smile. He walked off for the choosing of the dish they would use.

"Welcome back for the second day of the finals. Yesterday ended with the BakuBladers being in the lead by one match. Let's see what they have in store for us today." The commenter said to the crowd. The coloured ball from the machine came out and he picked it up. "The first battle will be between Marucho from the BakuBladers and Spencer from the Demolition Brawlers. They will be using the quay-side dish! This dish includes a scene at the quay side as its name suggests. Be careful of the water in the middle though, you never know how deep it is!" The commenter continued as Spencer and Marucho walked up to the platform.

"You don't seem so tough to beat little boy. I will finish this match off quickly… I promise not to prolong your misery…" Spencer said, cocky and confident that his win was assured.

"Well, we'll see about that won't we?" Marucho answered, rather cheekily.

"3, 2, 1, let it rip!" They shouted at the same time. Soon, the battle heated up. After some time, however, it was obvious Spencer was making many reckless and risky moves, too many, often leaving himself wide open for an attack. Marucho saw that and took the chance to hit Spencer several times, finally ending the battle in a stadium out.

"You are better than I thought. Perhaps I should not have underestimated you after all…" Spencer said, looking deep in thought as he returned to his team.

The second battle began soon after. This time Spencer was more careful than before, taking much fewer risks than he did previously. Instead of attacking out right, he made many small, seemingly useless moves to defend against Marucho's attacks. However, they were enough to stop his bey from receiving any direct attacks.

"What is he doing?" Jake wondered aloud suspiciously. "Do you guys think that Spencer is setting up a trap for Marucho?"

"He could be." Shun answered quietly. With that, they turned back to watch the remainder of the match.

Soon, however, Preyas started to slow down visibly. Seeing this, Marucho decided to take drastic actions to win before Preyas stopped completely. "Preyas! Go in for the win now!" Marucho commanded. However, Spencer held his defensive line and successfully defended against that attack. Not long after that, Preyas stopped spinning. Victory was Spencer's.

"I'm sorry I didn't win this one guys…" Marucho apologised.

"Don't worry about it Marucho. Just do your best for the next one. It doesn't matter now." Runo answered consolingly.

"Alright then…" Marucho said, a little doubtful.

The third and final match started. In the beginning, both were cautious of the other, not knowing what could happen. Then, Marucho decided to launch the first major attack. "Let's try, Preyas. After all, we managed it during practice. Limit Break!" Marucho commanded.

"His statistics have increased by 25%. Not much, but considering his current situation, it might just be enough…" Kenny reported.

However, it was not enough and Spencer blocked the following attacks with what seemed like ease. "We have to try again Preyas, try to reach 100%. Limit Break!" Marucho tried once more. However, nothing happened, no matter how many times Marucho tried.

Seeing this, Spencer smiled and launched his attack while Marucho was in the midst of trying once again. His attack scored a direct hit and Preyas was flung out of the stadium. Spencer had won the battle, the match was theirs.

"I'm really sorry guys… Maybe I should have just concentrated on the battle…" Marucho said, with regret in his voice.

"It's no big deal Marucho. It's my turn next. I will win one back for us. I promise." Mira said, smiling.

"Alright, Mira!" Dan replied enthusiastically.

She walked off to see what dish she would use in the battle. Kazerina was already there when she arrived. 'So, she is my opponent…' Mira thought to herself.

The dish chosen by the machine rose to the platform. They would be playing on a classic dish. "I was disappointed when they decided I would be playing against you… Let me tell you something, against me, you have no chance of winning, not at your current skill level." Kazerina taunted, laughing.

"We will see later, Kazerina…" Mira replied. The battle began. Soon after, Kazerina called out her bit beast, Lumagrowl and Mira called out Wilda. However, Kazerina seemed distracted and as a result, her moves were not accurate and many failed to hit Wilda. She also left many gaps in her defences, allowing Wilda's attacks to hit Lumagrowl time and time again. Soon after, due to the large number of direct hits Lumagrowl sustained, he stopped spinning, leaving Mira victorious.

"Great job Mira! That was a fantastic win!" Keith said encouragingly as he smiled to his sister.

"Thanks Keith." Mira replied laughing.

Soon after, Mira left for the second battle.

"I was overconfident before, I give you that. However, I will not make the same mistake twice." Kazerina warned before launching a volley of fast, precise and powerful attacks.

"Wilda! Hang on, we can beat her in this battle and win this match now." Mira said. However, the attacks proved too much for Wilda to handle and the battle ended in Kazerina's favour, in a sleep out.

Mira returned dejectedly to the rest of the team. "Sorry… I thought I could finish her off there and then…" She apologised.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Mira. Kazerina is one of the 12 Order's strongest members. You already won one battle against her and that is a great thing to accomplish." Fabia reassured her.

"You actually have the strength to defeat her in the third match, Mira. You just have to use Limit Break to boost your attacks. After that, you should have enough power to defeat her." Kenny said, walking over to show how the statistics played out. Nodding, Mira went back to the platform for her third and final battle.

Both bladers called out their bit beasts the moment the battle began. "Wilda! Let's use what we learned to defeat this opponent! Limit Break!" Mira shouted.

"Her statistics have increased by 75%." Kenny commented.

"That's almost a perfect Limit Break… Wow…" Tyson said voicing his admiration for what Mira had accomplished.

"Let's go Wilda. Let's finish that dog off with this attack!" Mira commanded, following it with Ares Ball. The attack caused Lumagrowl to fly out of the dish, ending the short battle in a stadium out almost immediately after it started.

"Alright. It's your turn next, Alice." Max said, turning around, only to see Alice already walking to the platform. She was met there by Airzel, a member of what was the 12 Order. The dish they would use, the classic dish, rose to the surface.

"I was hoping to get a special dish… I guess not all our wishes come true… I heard that I was going up against someone who had once defeated Dan Kuso, but I didn't expect that person to be a young girl like you." Airzel said, mockingly.

Before Alice could retort, however, Airzel started the match. "Humph…" Alice said, before they launched their beys at the same time.

Soon after that, Alice called out Hydronoid. But she did not encounter any resistance of her attacks from Airzel. Soon, she easily defeated him and ended the match. "How's that Airzel? How do you like my strength now?" Alice asked, smiling.

"Who are you really? I don't think you defeated Dan Kuso that way…" Airzel asked, curiously.

"I was once the blader Masquerade. Perhaps that will help you clear your doubts." Alice replied.

"That makes more sense…" Airzel said, his voice trailing off as he walked away. Alice then walked back to the rest of the BakuBladers.

"That was a good battle Alice!" Runo congratulated her on her return.

"Thanks! But it was a little easy…" Alice said doubtfully.

"He could be going easy on you on purpose. Watch out, Alice." Dan warned.

"Don't worry Dan… I will win this last battle, and then we can end today on a good note." Alice said, smiling.

The second battle started. As with the previous battle, Alice called out her bit beast soon after the match started. However, this time Airzel followed suit, calling out his bit beast, Strikeflier. Soon after, he began attacking Hydronoid with combinations of attacks. He soon overpowered Alice, obtaining victory for the Demolition Brawlers.

"I'm sorry… I should have been more careful…" Alice apologised sadly.

"It'll be fine… Just don't underestimate him the next round. It would be best if you used Limit Break as well though." Max said a little worried for the outcome of the battle.

"But… I haven't done it yet…" Alice said worriedly.

"If are so worried about that, you will never be able to do it." Shun said unexpectedly in a matter of fact tone.

"I guess you are right Shun…" Alice said, regaining her confidence. She then walked back to the platform, where Airzel stood, waiting.

"So then, Alice, why don't you show me some of the skill you used as Masquerade?" Airzel taunted. "Or maybe you can't…"

"Maybe I don't want to, Airzel." Alice said.

"Then I'll just make you show it to me." Airzel said, smiling, as he started the battle. Soon after, both called out their bit beasts and the true battle began. Both of them started attacking each other. When one attacked, the other defended. This went on until Alice had enough.

"Hydronoid! Stop attacking for now!" Alice commanded.

"Have you had enough? You can just quit now you know, saves us the time and trouble." Airzel mocked.

"Hydronoid, we have to do this now, or we will never get another chance. We have to try. Limit Break!" Alice said, sounding a little desperate.

"What are you trying to do? Throw me off by surprise? I think not! Strikeflier, do it now! End this battle." Airzel commanded.

"Alice, watch out!" Mira called, but it was too late. With Alice concentrating on trying Limit Break, Airzel faced no opposition from her. Hydronoid took a direct hit and was sent flying out of the stadium, ending the battle in a stadium out.

"I should have concentrated more on the game… Sorry…" Alice said, not meeting the eyes of the team.

"It's fine Alice… It's not as if we lost the tournament to them or anything… Don't beat yourself up over that match. All they did was to tie with us. We can still get the lead back tomorrow." Tyson said, trying to assure Alice.

"But…" Alice protested.

"He's right, Alice." Dan said, not giving Alice any chances to protest further. They then left the stadium for their hotel to prepare for the next day's battles.

The next day, they set off for the stadium. "Hey Jake, it's your turn to fight today, isn't it?" Dan asked, turning to Jake.

"Don't remind me Dan… I don't think I can win… Really…" Jake said, worriedly.

"Relax Jake! I'm sure you'll do fine. Right Shun?" Dan asked.

"…"

"Shun?" Dan asked again.

"Yeah…" Shun answered nonchalantly.

They arrived at the stadium to see the Demolition Brawlers waiting for them. They walked to their team area and Jake then hesitantly left them for the platform. There, Volt was waiting for him.

"So, you are Jake. I'll make it clear to you; I don't have time to mess around with you." Volt said.

"I… see…" Jake stammered. They then started the match. However, Jake soon stressed out, due to the crowd in the spectator stands and the warning from Volt.

"Focus… Jake!" Ren called over. Jake had lost focus and was losing the battle against Volt.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Jake replied, turning around to face Ren. However, in that period of time, Volt dealt a direct attack at him, ending the battle when Coredem was sent out of the stadium due to that attack.

"What? But…" Jake started to protest.

"Not focusing on the match was your choice as was to look away from the battle." Volt interrupted him and walked off.

Jake walked back dejectedly. "Volt was right… I shouldn't have looked away from that battle…"

"Come on Jake; don't give up just like that." Julie said, trying to encourage him.

"Julie's right. It isn't the end of the world or the end of the tournament just yet. Don't give up Jake." Fabia said, joining in to help Julie.

"Volt is one of the Vexos, a team comprising of the strongest bladers from Vestal. There is no shame in you losing to him as long as you have done your best." Mira said.

"Alright then, I will try harder in the next battle." Jake said, having recovered his self-confidence.

He returned to the platform where Volt was once again waiting for him. "So, you haven't given up yet huh?" Volt said.

"No… I haven't…" Jake said, hesitantly.

"Good. I wouldn't want to have played against someone who gives up that easily." Volt said, smirking.

They started their match. Both called out their bit beasts for the first time, with Jake calling out Coredem and Volt calling out Brontes. "Coredem… Let's…um…try…Limit Break…" Jake said hesitantly. Nothing happened.

"Be surer of yourself. Use your emotions to generate the power needed for Limit Break." Shun suddenly instructed. Everyone turned in surprise.

"Shun…" Kai murmured.

"So, you do care after all Shun." Dan commented.

"All I'm doing is telling him the basics. Which emotions he uses to generate that power is up to him." Shun replied.

However, the advice was what Jake needed. "Limit Break!" He finally mustered the courage to command.

"Coredem has increased his strength by 25%, but nothing else has increased. Why? Shouldn't everything increase as well?" Kenny asked confused by what had happened.

"As I said before, the emotion he chooses to use is up to him. When using Limit Break, the emotions you use are very important." Shun said.

"So… Jake chose to use the wrong emotion?" Kai clarified.

"Exactly." Shun replied, nodding.

"That's nothing. Go now Brontes. Finish this battle." Volt said, sounding mildly bored. After that, Brontes launched one final attack, ending the battle and the match.

"Volt broke through… even after Limit Break?" Runo asked shocked by the outcome of the battle.

"Well, his defence was not strengthened by that Limit Break. So Volt could still break through quite easily." Kenny replied, a little sheepishly.

"I see…" Runo replied just as Jake returned.

"I…lost…sorry…" Jake said, tearing up a little.

"Hey, don't worry about it. The members of the Vexos are not the easiest to beat." Keith said.

"If you say so…" Jake said.

"If you are done with talking, maybe we could start the next battle?" a voice said from the platform. Everyone turned and saw Hydron standing on the platform, waiting for their choice of blader.

"It's you…" Shun said, tensing up. He stood up to go to the platform. However, Kai stopped him.

"What's the meaning of this, Kai?" Shun asked angrily.

"Let me fight him this time Shun. I want to see how strong he is now and I don't plan on giving up this chance to fight against him." Kai said his determination obvious in his tone.

"Fine." Shun consented after awhile. The rest of the BakuBladers looked at him in surprise. They had thought it would be much more difficult to stop Shun from battling Hydron. "However, don't you dare lose, especially not against him." Shun warned.

"I won't lose to him Shun. I promise you that." Kai said.

Shun nodded once and Kai left for the platform. There, a classic dish had already risen up. "So, I'm up against you, the one they call Kai." Hydron said.

"That's right Hydron. I'm not an easy person to defeat, so you had better watch your back this whole match." Kai responded with a smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare mock me!" Hydron shouted, getting riled up by Kai. They then started the match. Hydron called out his bit beast, Dryoid, almost immediately, but met no resistance from Kai. As a result, he won easily. Seeing this, Shun's eyes narrowed in irritation, but relaxed almost immediately. Shun smiled as he realised what Kai was doing.

"Ha! Not an easy person to defeat huh? What happened to that, Kai?" Hydron asked, bursting into laughter.

"Don't count me or Dronzer out just yet. We have a whole lot more to show you." Kai replied, with a smirk on his face.

"I do hope so, for your team's sake." Hydron said before turning around and leaving the platform.

"What was that for Kai? It's not like you to hold back so much." Tyson asked, annoyed at Kai's actions.

"Don't bother yourself thinking about it. I have things under control." Kai said, before walking off into the team room.

"Kai! Don't give me that! Kai!" Tyson shouted after him before turning to Shun. "Why are you just sitting there Shun? Aren't you angry at him for holding back so much against Hydron?"

"I was… Until…" Shun replied.

"Until?" Ray asked.

"Until I realised that he was testing Hydron out." Shun finished, smiling a little. The team relaxed, knowing that Kai had done that based on a plan he had planned out before.

When they returned for the second match, Hydron was really cocky. "I will win this battle and win this match with a score of 2-0." Hydron said.

Kai smiled in reply to Hydron's claim.

"Why you…" Hydron snarled. They started the match.

As with the previous battle, Hydron called out Dryoid. However, this time, he met up with Kai's counter attack. Soon after Hydron called out Dryoid, Kai followed suit with Dronzer. "Now, we'll see if you can hold up that claim now." Kai said smiling a little smugly at Hydron.

"I still can!" screamed Hydron. It was clear that he had lost control of his emotions.

"Really?" Kai said, smirking now.

"I'll show you!" Hydron shouted and started making reckless attacks that Dronzer easily dodged. That caused Hydron to further lose control of the battle.

"Is that really all you've got? I'm disappointed… Dronzer, end this!" Kai commanded. With Hydron not in control of his emotions, he lost control and did not put up any defence to the attack. Dryoid was knocked out of the stadium and the battle ended with a stadium out.

"What do you think you are doing? You lost because of your overconfidence you idiot! Don't hold back the next round, or else…" Zenoheld shouted at Hydron, before leaving the threat hanging. He then turned and walked back to the team room.

"That was awesome Kai! Did you see Hydron's face when Zenoheld scolded him? It was hilarious!" Dan complimented Kai.

"He lost control. That was too easy…" Kai commented turning to Shun.

"No. It won't be that easy next time. I would advise you to use Limit Break as soon as you can for the third battle. From the team's expression when we used Limit Break, they didn't expect all of us to know about that attack. However, from what they know, they would believe that none of you have fully mastered Limit Break. If you used that attack to its full potential, I think it will take Hydron off his guard. To my knowledge, he doesn't know anyone else who has used it fully, other than me." Shun said, in answer to some unasked question Kai had.

"I see…" Kai said. He then gave a slight nod to Shun. Seeing that, Shun smiled and returned the nod.

"What's with the nodding guys? Come on; don't start having a secret signalling thing…" Tyson whined, to the laughter of the team. Soon after, Kai left for the third and last battle.

"I will win this battle. You simply threw me off guard the last battle. That won't happen again. Without that advantage, you will never be able to beat me with the kind of skills you have." Hydron said, smirking at Kai.

"Oh yeah?" Kai asked, smiling smugly at Hydron, unnerving him. However, Hydron regained his focus very soon.

"I see what you are trying to do! It will not work again." Hydron announced triumphantly. They then started the battle, with both calling out their bit beasts at the same time.

"Let's not waste any time… Dronzer! Limit Break!" Kai commanded.

"Don't think that will work on me. I've seen your team's Limit Breaks and they can never compare to what your teammate, Shun Kazami, produced in our last fight." Hydron taunted.

"Oh? You mean a full 100% Limit Break?" Kai asked, smiling smugly. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not like the others…"

"What…do…you…mean?" Hydron asked confusion and some fear in his voice.

"We'll show you. Now, Dronzer!" Kai commanded. A huge fire tornado appeared.

"No! It can't be! Not…that…!" Hydron said, fear clearly evident in his voice. "Dryoid! Protect me and yourself at all costs! This was the attack that defeated us the last time, don't fall prey to it again! Dryoid!"

"It's no use! You are going to lose!" Kai shouted as Dronzer overpowered Dryoid's defences, throwing him out of the stadium and ending the battle with Kai's victory.

"That was great Kai!" Baron exclaimed when Kai returned to the team.

"Yeah! Hydron's face when you used Limit Break was priceless!" Max said ecstatically. As the team surrounded him with their congratulations, Kai turned to Shun. Shun smiled and nodded, before turning around and leaving for the team room before the next battle started.

"Alright! I'm up next! I can't wait to start this battle!" Julie said excitedly.

She ran up to the platform and was met with Nurzak, a member of the 12 Order. "So, you are going to be my opponent… How interesting." Nurzak commented. They started the battle. However, Nurzak played very defensive, not attacking Julie at all. Julie, on the other hand, played very offensive. Due to her attacks not meeting any resistance from Nurzak, she easily won the battle.

"That was a little easy don't you think? I don't remember Nurzak being that easy to beat…" Ren said, thinking back.

"I'm sure he has something going on in his head… He might be coming up with a strategy to beat Julie. He was Gundalia's strategist after all." Fabia suggested.

"In that case, shouldn't Julie step it up in the next battle?" Ray asked.

"Yeah… I just hope she listens to any advice we give her…" Runo commented.

Julie returned to the team shortly after that. "Did you guys see me take that old man down? This match is going to be a piece of cake." Julie said, grinning happily.

"Julie, watch your back. Nurzak is a strategist. No doubt he already has a strategy for defeating you in the next battle." Max warned worriedly.

"Don't worry so much. It'll be fine, you'll see. I'll win this battle and we can leave the stadium for today and go celebrate!" Julie said enthusiastically. "Now, time to go finish this, Gorem." Julie finished before leaving for the next battle.

The next battle started. This time, Julie called out Gorem and Nurzak, to Julie's surprise, called out his bit beast Sabator. "Well now, are you going to attack me?" Nurzak asked Julie, cocking his head.

"Let's go Gorem!" Julie said, before launching a volley of attacks against Sabator. However, Sabator easily dodged her attacks, frustrating Julie.

"Stop dodging the attacks already! Let's get on with the game!" Julie shouted at Nurzak.

"Stop it Julie! You are losing focus of the game!" Alice shouted.

"So what?" Julie asked, turning around to shout back at Alice.

"So, you are going to lose." Nurzak said, returning Julie's attention to the game. However, by then, it was too late. Sabator had already scored a direct hit against Gorem, causing him to fly out of the stadium, ending the game, this time in Nurzak's favour.

"I'm…sorry… I should've listened…" Julie said, tearing up.

"Come on Julie. Don't cry…" Dan said. "Just do your best. We trust you."

"If you say so…" Julie said, still sounding dejected. However, she left for the platform after that. The third match started and both Julie and Nurzak called out their bit beasts. However, after the previous loss to him, Julie lost all her confidence and could not focus. This allowed Nurzak to win easily, without meeting any resistance from Julie.

"If that's all Team BladeBreakers have to offer us, then our win is all but assured." Nurzak said in an accusing tone.

Julie turned and left without answering, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault… Now they have the lead over us…" Julie said, sobbing.

"Come on Julie. All they have is a one win lead. We'll win it back easily. After all, we still have many of our best bladers who have yet to play. Don't worry so much over your one loss. Anyway, I lost too, remember? We all have some responsibility in the results. It isn't purely your fault." Runo assured Julie.

"Still… If I had listened to you guys…" Julie said, protesting guiltily.

"It's okay that we don't always agree, Julie. What's important is that we can still get along as a team." Dan said, joining Runo.

"You're right Dan, Runo. I shouldn't allow this one loss to affect me so much. Thanks you guys!" Julie said, regaining her old optimism.

They left the stadium and returned to their hotel to get ready for their next day's battle. The next day, they left for the stadium for the fourth and second last day of the tournament.

"It's my turn first right? Unless there it's an opponent that anyone else would like to fight…" Keith said.

"Yeah. We trust you Keith. Tie with them, alright?" Ace asked.

"If you insist." Keith said, smiling at the phrase he had once used. Ace nodded once, before smiling as well. The BladeBreakers separated with Keith as they left for the team area where they would watch the match, as usual, while Keith left for the battle platform. There, he was met by Barodius the emperor of Gundalia and leader of the 12 Order. As Keith made his way up, Barodius started laughing.

"To beat me, the Neathians required their entire army and more. Do you really think that you can beat me all by yourself?" Barodius asked, smirking.

"Oh, we'll see." Keith replied as he put on his mask and became his alter ego, Spectra Phantom.

"Interesting…" Barodius said, his confidence not wavering even a little.

The dish they would use rose. To the Brawler's surprise, it was a miniature model of Interspace! "What sort of dish is this?" Barodius asked the announcer angrily.

"Well… We were sent the blueprints for some place like this and thought it would be a good setting for a dish in this tournament. So… Anyway, we don't really know much about this setting, only that it is called the Interspace dish." The announcer said a little sheepishly.

"Interesting… This is quite a familiar scene…" Keith, now Spectra, said, smiling slightly.

They started the battle. Spectra called out Infinity Helios after only a short while. However, he still only attacked Barodius' Betadron with basic attacks, not using any special moves. 'What could he be doing? Calling out his bit beast but not using any of its skills? Perhaps he is trying to gauge my strength. Well, I'll just use half of it, in case…' Barodius thought to himself.

However, no matter what Barodius used, Spectra did not put up any resistance. It turned out to be an easy win for the Demolition Brawlers.

"That can't be all you've got, especially after calling out a bit beast like yours." Barodius commented.

"What's that suppose to mean? Anyway, we'll see…" Spectra said ginning smugly. He then turned and left, rejoining the rest of BladeBreakers.

"Spectra... Keith… They are the same person right?" Tyson asked, a little hesitant as Spectra walked back.

"Of course. Why would you even question that?" Mira asked angrily.

"It's nothing personal." Tyson replied quickly. "It's just that their personalities are the complete opposite of each other, so it's a little hard to imagine them as the same person…"

"Humph" was Mira's reply as Spectra walked back. "Keith! You didn't put up much of a fight back there… Is something wrong? Even though it takes place in Interspace…" Mira said, turning to her brother.

"I didn't plan to in the first place. I decided to relax a little and figure out how good he was…" Spectra replied, smiling.

"Still… Wasn't that a little unnecessary?" Kai asked.

"So what if it was? It never hurts to be cautious sometimes." Spectra answered. "I'll head back for the next match. Don't worry, I won't lose." Smirking, Spectra walked off in the direction of the battle platform.

"Their personalities are really different, aren't they…?" Tyson asked no one in particular. Everyone except Mira and Shun nodded in agreement.

The second battle started. As they stepped up the platform, Barodius noticed that there was something different about Spectra as compared to the previous battle. 'There is a different feeling from him than before. What could it be…?" Barodius asked himself.

Soon after the battle started, both called out their respective bit beasts. This time, however, Spectra started to dart in and out of the buildings that were part of the Interspace dish. He launched several surprise attacks from alley ways that were hidden among the many buildings available. Soon, however, Spectra gave up on launching such attacks. "Enough of the fun and games, it's time to actually get serious… Helios, use your special move, Destroy Quasar!" Spectra commanded. This took Barodius by surprise and he left Betadron open to the attack. The attack managed to deal a direct hit, causing Betadron to be sent out of the stadium, ending the battle in a stadium out.

"That was too easy, Barodius. Surely that's not all you have to give me." Spectra said and he turned around and left.

"You wish…" Barodius muttered, annoyed. He then, too, left the platform and rejoined his team.

"That was great Spectra!" Ray said, congratulating him as he rejoined the team again.

"What do you expect? After all, he is the best blader among us after Shun…" Dan commented.

"Oh yeah… Well then, winning this round shouldn't be too much of a problem in that case." Max said, laughing. In response, Spectra gave him a smile before leaving for the third and last battle of that match.

They started the third battle. "You wanted all I've got, didn't you? Well, I'll give it to you as a gift for this last battle!" Barodius told Spectra as both of them called out their respective bit beasts.

"I suppose I did… Well then, Helios, let's not hold back shall we? Especially since our opponent isn't." Spectra said, smiling a grin that made him look power hungry once again.

However, even then, Spectra seemed to be losing at first. "He's better than I thought." Spectra said with a slight frown on his face, as their beys clashed yet again. "However, I can't let that hold me back can I, Helios? Now, Limit Break!" He finished.

A midnight black ring appeared around both Spectra and Helios. It shot upwards and stopped, just brushing the roof of the building.

"What is that thing?" Barodius asked and for the first time, a little amount of fear leaked into his voice.

"It is my Limit Break of course. Helios, finish this battle off, Destroy Quasar!" Spectra shouted as Helios dealt the final blow and sent Betadron flying out of the stadium, ending the match in a stadium out, with Spectra victorious, tying the two teams.

"That was amazing Spectra! He was in total shock when you used Limit Break. I guess they weren't looking when Kai used it against Hydron…" Dan said as Spectra rejoined them and took off his mask, returning to Keith.

"Yes. I noticed that too when I was blading against him. I would have thought that Barodius would have known that all of us at least know how to perform Limit Break. It would seem that they get preoccupied with preparing for their own battles that they don't watch their teammates'. We could use that to our advantage." Keith commented.

"Yeah, we could. I'll try that out in my battle next. Let's see if it works." Fabia said, getting ready leaving for her battle at the battle platform.

"Fabia, your opponent… It's…Mylene…" Baron stammered.

"Be careful Fabia. Mylene likes to use surprise attacks and she doesn't give her opponents any mercy." Mira warned.

"It'll be okay, Mira. Don't worry so much." Fabia said, smiling, as she left for her battle at the battle platform.

They started the battle and Fabia soon called out Aronaut. However, Mylene did not call out her bit beast in response and did not guard against any of Aronaut's attacks. As a result, Fabia won easily.  
"This isn't all you've got, is it? If you are part of the Vexos, I doubt you would be this weak." Fabia said.

"Yes, you've noticed. Of course this isn't all I've got." Mylene said with a smirk on her face. "How about we cut to the chase with the second match instead of waiting around?"

"Fine with me. Let's get the second battle started then." Fabia replied.

"Wait, Fabia! It's a trick. She already has something planned out. Take some time to think about your attacks." Ren shouted.

"There's no need for that Ren. I can handle the next battle just as well without planning for it." Fabia replied.

The second battle commenced. Fabia called out Aronaut and Mylene called out her bit beast, Macubass, for the first time. "What is that…? Is that your bit beast?" Fabia asked in a shocked voice when she saw Macubass.

"Yes. Isn't it the best?" Mylene asked mockingly.

"How could you stoop so low as to use a machine instead of a natural bit beast? That's despicable!" Fabia shouted at Mylene angrily.

"So what? It's within the rules. I don't care if it's despicable." Mylene said in a tone that told everyone that she really did not care.

Fabia did not answer. Instead, Aronaut launched an attack at Macubass. However, the attack was a rash one and Macubass easily dodged it. It was clear now that Fabia had lost control of the battle due to the rash choices in her attacks brought on by rage. As a result, Macubass easily scored hit after hit on Aronaut, slowly bringing Aronaut to a standstill, ending the battle in a sleep out that was in Mylene's favour.

"I should have listened. Sorry, you guys. I'll win the next battle." Fabia apologised after rejoining the team.

"It's alright, Fabia." Dan said.

"Prepare and go all out the next battle. Use Limit Break. If our theory is correct, Mylene won't know that you can use it." Shun advised unexpectedly.

Fabia nodded, signalling that she understood, before leaving for the battle platform for the third and last battle of the match. At the platform, she was met by Mylene once again.

"Did you like our last battle? It wasn't even my full strength…" Mylene said with a smug smile on her face.

"It wasn't mine either, Mylene." Fabia said, determined to win the match for the BladeBreakers.

Both bladers called out their respective bit beasts. "Let's not waste any more time, Aronaut. Limit Break!" Fabia commanded.

"Her stats have increased by 50%. It's half perfect." Kenny said, awe leaking into his voice.

"Hydron told us about this, but he was certain that only Shun could use it… Interesting…" Mylene said.

"He thought wrong, didn't he?" Fabia answered, delighted that their hypothesis was correct.

"Hmm…" was Mylene's answer. She then managed to dodge the attack that Fabia sent her way, causing an opening in Fabia's defences. Mylene then dealt a direct attack on Fabia, ending the battle in a stadium out, causing the Demolition Brawlers to be ahead of them again.

"Sorry guys, even after all that, I couldn't beat her." Fabia apologised yet again.

"It's alright Fabia. I'm going next and Drago and I are not going to lose to them!" Dan said, before half-running to the battle platform. There he was met by Tala, who looked calm and confident of winning. They started their first match immediately, using the classic dish. Immediately after launching his bey, Dan called out Drago.

"What? This soon?" Tala asked shocked by the fact that Dan didn't wait before calling out Drago.

"Now's the perfect chance Drago! Boosted Dragon!" Dan commanded. The attack took Tala by surprise, allowing Dan to win in a sleep out.

That seemed a little too easy to me, Tala…" Dan commented as Drago returned to him.

"I was taken by surprise. I won't make that same mistake twice. Watch out." Tala snarled before striding off to prepare for the next battle.

"Alright Dan! That was a sweet battle!" Marucho exclaimed.

"Still, be careful Dan. Tala wasn't kidding when he said what he said. He is the best blader in the Russian team, the Demolition Boys after all." Kai warned.

"Yeah… I'll be careful. Don't worry, Drago and I won't be beaten so easily." Dan replied with a confident smile on his face. He then left for the battle platform for his second battle.

The second battle commenced. This time, both Dan and Tala called out their bit beasts at the same time. Without the element of surprise, it was obvious that Wolborg, Tala's bit beast was stronger than Drago.

"Dan! Use Limit Break! It's the only way you can win this battle at this point!" Shun suddenly shouted, walking up to the platform.

Shocked, Dan immediately turned around to face Shun. "I can't Shun… I haven't mastered it yet. I haven't even done a 100% Limit Break in a battle…" Dan said, unsure of his chances of activating that ability.

After hearing that, Shun sighed and walked back to the team area. Although Dan tried his best to win the battle without using Limit Break, Tala defeats him soon after Shun walked away.

"You should have listened to your friend and acted when you had the chance to." Tala said before walking back to his team.

Rejoining the team, Dan said, "Sorry guys, I guess I freaked out back there when I heard that I had to use Limit Break…"

"It's alright Dan. We know you can win this last battle." Tyson said.

"That's right Dan. We believe in you." Runo added.

"We know you can do this Dan." Ren finished.

"Thanks. I won't let the team down." Dan replied, regaining his confidence. He then walked back to the battle platform where Tala was already waiting for him. They started the battle and as with the previous battle, both of them called out their bit beasts at the same time.

'I can't lose this. I can't let the team down.' Dan thought to himself. However, no matter how hard he tried, Tala still had the upper hand.

"Use it now Dan! Use Limit Break or you will never win this. This is the best time to try it out Dan so use it and win this already! Believe in yourself and in Drago, Dan!" Shun shouted, standing up and walking towards the platform.

"Shun… You're right… Thanks." Dan said smiling as realisation hit him.

Shun nodded once before going back and sitting down once more. "Drago! You heard Shun! Let's do this, Limit Break!" A fire tornado appeared, engulfing Dan and Drago.

"It's…It's a perfect Limit Break…!" Kenny exclaimed, shocking even Dan himself.

"Perfect…? Alright! Drago, now! Boosted Dragon!" Dan commanded, overjoyed that he managed to use Limit Break to its full potential. The attack overpowers Tala and sends Wolborg out of the dish, earning Dan the victory, making the score tied once again.

"How…? I am definitely stronger, more skilful than you. So, how did you win?" Tala asked, amazed at Dan's victory.

"I trusted myself…and I trusted my friends." Dan said turning around to face his teammates and looked Shun in the eye. In response, Shun nodded slightly.

"Hmph." Tala said, before walking off. When he returned to his team, they immediately started asking him questions.

"What happened Tala? How did _you_ lose?" Bryan asked.

"They work well as a team and look out for each other. Watch out when they start doing that tomorrow. Especially since it's the last day."

"That was a great job Dan." Mira commented when Dan returned.

"Thanks Mira. Well, let's go back to our rooms and rest up for tomorrow's battles. You're up first, right Ace?" Dan asked, already walking out of the stadium.

"Yeah. Then its Shun's turn followed by Tyson." Ace said a little excited at the thought of it finally being his turn.

The next day, they went to the stadium for the last three matches. The first match was Ace's. At the platform, he was met by Gill, who was originally from the 12 Order.

"I'll finish you off quickly…" Gill said self-confidence obvious in his voice.

"Oh yeah? Don't be so cocky. That won't happen if I finish you off first." Ace replied.

With that, they started the battle. Right at the beginning, Gill called out his bit beast, Druman, and immediately used his special move Vortex Dark Flame. This surprised Ace, allowing his defence to drop far enough for the attack to go through. The battle ended quickly, with Gill victorious.

"Told you so…" Gill said to Ace as he turned around and walked back.

Dejected, Ace returns to the team area. "Sorry… I lost this one…" he said.

"It's fine! You just have to win the next two and this match is ours!" Dan said optimistically.

"But it will not be easy. Back in the Gundalia-Neathia war, Gill was the best fighter Gundalia had after Barodius. Be ready for a long fight if you want to beat him, Ace." Ren said, trying to help Ace mentally prepare for the next battle.

"Alright. Thanks Ren." Ace said, thankful for the advice. He then returned to the battle platform. This time, both Gill and Ace called out their bit beats at the same time.

"Let's not let everyone down, Percival. Limit Break! Trigunner!" Ace shouted out suddenly.

"His stats have increased by 50%. It's half completed." Marucho announced, peaking at Kenny's laptop.

Unprepared for the attack, Gill's defences were no match for the Limit Break used. Now, Percival sent Druman flying, ending the battle, causing the match to be a tie so far.

"Interesting. You were holding back the previous battle I see…" Gill commented.

"So what if I was?" Ace retorted.

In response, Gill simply walked off. Seeing Gill's reaction, Ace too returned to the BakuBladers. After a short while, both of them returned to the battle platform once again. This time however, Gill seemed more thoughtful than before. "Alright Percival, if we did it before, we can do it again. Limit Break!" Ace tried. However, nothing happened.

"What…?" Ace wondered out loud, now uncertain of his skills. Gill took advantage of this uncertainty to continuously attack with Druman's special move at random, resulting in Ace's lost. However, the attacks that did not hit Percival ended up destroying the remaining dishes as well.

"In light of the damage to the other dishes meant to be used today, the second and third battles of today have been pushed back while repairs to the dishes are being carried out. The bladers participating can take this opportunity to train for the rest of the day, but please take note that the BBA training facilities here are not open." The commenter announced after some discussion between the referees.

Returning to the tem area, Ace said, "I lost the match… Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it Ace. We haven't lost the tournament yet. They've just equalised that's all." Mira said.

"Yeah Ace. We just have to win the next two battles and the tournament is in the bag." Runo added.

"Don't beat yourself over this loss Ace. As I said before, you were up against Gill, a strong opponent, one of the strongest we know." Ren said.

"I agree. Tomorrow, Shun and I will play against the remaining two." Tyson said, excited at the prospect of blading.

"I really doubt Shun will lose tomorrow. As for Tyson, I doubt so as well." Keith commented. Hearing this, everyone looked at Shun. However, he did not seem to care about what they were talking about in the least. They decided to return to the hotel, since all the training facilities were closed, and train in the grounds provided there.

When they gathered there, however, Shun was not among them. "It's Shun's turn first tomorrow and he doesn't come down to train?" Kenny asked, confused by Shun's actions.

"Well, he has always been like that…" Marucho replied.

"Why don't we go get him down? He can't disagree to that when it's his turn tomorrow." Ray suggested.

"That's right. He would definitely agree." Max said.

"The last time I saw him was when I left the room to come down here. At that point in time, he was meditating in the room. I don't think we should disturb him." Kai said, just as Ray and Max were about to leave. After hearing that, the BakuBladers lapse into silence.

That night however, Kai woke up in the middle of the night, only to see Shun once again launching himself out of the window. Then at three in the morning, he noticed Shun's return. Once in the room, Shun went to sleep, waking up again at 6am and began to meditate. After breakfast they all leave for the stadium for the last two matches of the tournament.

At the stadium, Shun left the team for the battle platform without a word. As he walked up to the platform, he was met by Bryan from the Demolition Brawlers. Neither of them said anything and they just stared at each other.

"Shun. That guy is Bryan, one of the original Demolition Boys. He feels nothing for the rules of the game and will not hesitate to use underhand tactics against you. Watch your back…" Kai warned. In response to the advice, Shun nodded slightly. The dish they would be using appeared and it was a blue dish with what seemed to be a separate base.

"This is the RPM dish. It stands for rounds per minute and you can see why for yourselves!" The commenter announced as the base of the dish started to spin at a high speed. "Your beys won't be able to stop in the middle of the base now, or else it will just be sent out of the stadium by the spinning base!" The commenter said.

The first battle started. When both Bryan and Shun launched their beys however, Bryan seemed to have misfired, knocking his bey straight into the dish, causing a portion of the dish to break apart. "Ha! Where do you think you are launching?" Dan asked, shouting from the team area.

However, the spinning base then launched a large piece of debris from the broken stadium straight at Shun. "Shun! Watch out!" Kai shouted the warning. Hearing that, Shun dodged the piece of debris just in time and the piece barely even grazed him.

"You're fast, I give you that. But, you will not defeat me." Bryan said.

"We'll see…" Shun replied.

They started the battle for real and both called out their respective bit beasts. Without wasting any time, Shun used Destruction Meteor Storm. However, Bryan's bey, Falborg, was able to withstand the attack. As a counter attack, Bryan ordered Falborg to attack Storm Skyress directly; however, Shun just as easily dodged the attacks that Bryan sent his way. Shun then used his merged attack but it was yet again withstood by Falborg.

"Use it now Shun!" Dan shouted.

"No… Not yet…" Shun muttered in response.

"It seems that after Bryan blocked all his usual attacks, Shun is more cautious." Marucho commented.

"Yeah… But still…" Dan protested. Just then, Bryan took Shun's caution and used Falborg's special move, allowing it to manipulate the air around it. This blows up a giant wind that forces Skyress out of the stadium and into the air before heading straight for Shun. Seeing that, Shun jumped into the air and skilfully caught Skyress before flipping and landing safely. However, Bryan had won the battle and, realising this, Shun walked off without another word.

"Shun…" Ray started as Shun walked towards them.

"Don't talk to me now…" Shun rebuked as he continued walking into the team room.

"What did I do…?" Ray asked, taken aback by Shun's response.

"He seems… upset…" Baron commented.

"Could he be thinking about _that_ battle?" Marucho asked.

"…Yeah…There were many similarities between the two after all…" Dan said, thinking back.

"He is probably thinking of how he should play the next battle right now…" Alice commented.

The second battle started and both bladers walked back to the battle platform.

"You're back huh? I would have thought that you would forfeit the match and your bit beast to me. But perhaps you actually enjoy this?" Bryan said in a mocking tone.

"Before was nothing but a mistake, one that I don't plan on making again in this battle." Shun said.

"No matter what you do, I will still win this battle and end the tournament here and now!" Bryan said, confident that he could stop any attack that Shun would use.

"Just try. I will not let my team down." Shun said in a calm yet determined voice.

They both launched their beys. Both of them immediately called out their bit beasts. Bryan wasted no time in activating Falborg's special move. This time, it shot the air at an amazing speed, not at Skyress, but directly at Shun.

"Why don't you accept our welcome gift? I'm sure it will blow you away!" Bryan said laughing as the attacks made their marks on Shun.

"Shun! We have to stop this match!" Dan shouted.

"Don't!" Shun shouted as he heard Dan.

"Shun… There is only so much you can take! Don't do this Shun, let us stop this match!" Ray shouted in response.

I know what I'm doing. Just don't stop the battle now!" Shun replied a little angrily.

"We have to stop this now regardless. It's too dangerous for Shun to continue on like this." Fabia interjected.

"No. If Shun says that he knows what he is doing, then I trust him." Dan said.

"Still, there has to be something we can do to help him." Jake said.

"We can help him by believing in him." Keith replied assuring Jake.

As the BakuBladers realise that Keith was right, they nodded in agreement and carried on watching the battle as Shun began his counterattack. This time, he did not hesitate to pull off a perfect Limit Break and launched it with a Destruction Meteor Storm. However, Bryan looked unfazed and even took the attack head-on. As the two beys collided, the impact kicked up a large cloud of dust, obscuring everyone's view of the battle platform.

"Is it over…?" Max asked anxiously.

"I…don't think so…" Keith said, a little hesitantly as everyone looked on. The dust settled after some time and when it did, everyone was shocked to see Bryan still standing and Falborg still spinning.

"You shouldn't be so surprised. After all, Hydron specifically chose and taught me how to block that attack. It won't work on me… I have been waiting the whole tournament for you to come and blade…" Bryan said, laughing as he looked on at the shocked look on the BakuBladers' faces.

"I…don't believe this… Shun's Limit Break attack was…" Kenny stammered.

"Stopped…" Ace finished in disbelieve.

"So, give up already. I will get your Storm Skyress one way or another. Why don't you just give up now and save yourself from losing badly?" Bryan asked mockingly.

"Never. I'll never give up like that. There is one thing a blader never does, and that's leave his partner behind! I have yet to show you what I can truly do! Now Skyress, Triple Merge attack!" Shun shouted.

Bryan's face turned into one of shock as the combined power of Destruction Meteor Storm, Fire Storm and Green Nobility Violent Winds rushed towards Falborg. His shock to this new attack meant that he left his defences wide open, allowing the attack through which knocked Falborg out of the stadium, earning Shun the victory.

"Who's the one who was going to lose, Bryan? And I'll warn you; this isn't the full extent of my skills." Shun said.

"It may not be the full extent of your skills but it is the full extent of your energy. You're all tapped out. I will win the next battle." Bryan replied.

"So what if it is the limit of my energy? I'll just break that limit." Shun said nonchalantly before walking back to rejoin his team.

"Shun… Are you alright?" Ren asked hesitantly as Shun walked past them towards the team room.

"Yeah…" Shun replied as he walked into the team room to prepare for the next battle.

"Watch your back the next battle. Bryan means whatever he said." Kai warned, shouting after Shun.

"So do I." Shun replied without stopping for even a moment.

"Could that mean that he has an attack that is even stronger than all his current ones?" Ren asked nobody in particular.

"It's possible… But he seems a little worn out don't you think?" Runo asked a little worriedly.

"We shouldn't worry so much Runo. After all it is Shun we are talking about, he'll be fine." Dan said. However, for some reason, he sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that as well.

The third battle soon began. As with last time, neither hesitated to call out their bit beast and Bryan immediately used Falborg's special move. However, there was a slight change in it.

"Bryan…His attacks are even stronger than before!" Kenny said, dread in his voice. Hearing that, they turned back around only to see that Kenny was right. Moreover, Shun did not seem like he could take any more of the attacks.

"Shun! Just forfeit this match! We can always win the tournament next time! You are more important to us than the title of champion!" Mira cried out.

"Yeah Shun! Just give this one up! Please Shun!" Dan pleaded.

"No! We've come this far. To give up now is just unacceptable!" Shun replied fiercely.

"Listen to your friends Shun. Give up and forfeit this match. The attack you used earlier took up too much of your energy so you don't have enough strength left to use another attack of that calibre again. I will get Skyress anyway, so just give up!" Bryan said, laughing out loud.

"You, get Skyress? I'll never let that happen. If you were not listening earlier, I would never leave my partner behind, much less in the hands of people like you! So, we shall further break the limits! Skyress, Double Limit Break! Destruction Meteor Storm together with Fire Storm!" Shun ordered. Then, out of nowhere, two of the tornadoes that appeared whenever he used Limit Break appeared.

"What is he doing?" Julie asked in wonder as the wind produce blew them back a little.

"Shun! What are you doing?" Mira asked.

"This must be the new power that he was talking about earlier!" Kai exclaimed. Just then, the two tornadoes began to merge in front of their eyes. They collided and became one, increasing the speed, size and power of the tornado they had become. That tornado hit the roof of the stadium, destroying it. As the pieces of debris caused by the broken roof started falling to the ground, the two teams, BakuBladers and Demolition Brawlers, had no choice but to back even further away from the battle platform.

"Stop this Shun! I don't think the stadium can handle that kind of power…" Dan shouted.

"It's not just about the stadium either Shun! I don't think you or Skyress can handle that kind of power either!" Marucho cried out the warning.

"We have to get him off that platform… Come on Ace, Ray, Max. We have to help Shun!" Ren said, as the four of them rushed forward to stop the match.

However, Dan and Kai stepped in front of them, stopping them. At the same time, Shun, seeing what they were about to do, shouted out, "Don't do that! I know what I'm doing. I spent time training to use this attack. Trust me."

"Stop this. It's too dangerous." Kai said.

"Kai's right. It's too dangerous for you guys to get to Shun. We have to trust that Shun knows what he's doing and give him our support." Dan added. Just as Dan finished, Skyress, covered in her green flames, started to fly upwards. She then goes one round around the entire stadium, showering the spectators and the teams with what looked like glitter. After the round, she flew up yet again before swooping down into the stadium, into Falborg. When the two beys collided, the impact once again kicked up a gigantic cloud of dust, obscuring everyone's view.

"What…happened…?" Mira asked.

"Who knows…? Anything could have happened when Shun's last attack caused that dust cloud…" Kai answered, unsure of what had happened as well.

The dust settled and they could finally see what happened. Everyone gasped out loud as they saw the condition the stadium was left in. The entire platform had been destroyed except for one sole column. One top of that, Skyress could be seen, in perfect condition, spinning strongly. Bryan was on the ground, unconscious, with Falborg next to him, utterly destroyed. Skyress then returned to Shun and he stood there for a few seconds staring at Skyress who was in his hand. 'Thank you, Skyress.' Shun thought to himself before walking down off the platform and he started walking back to the team.

The rest of the BakuBladers ran forward to congratulate him. When Shun saw that, he smiled then suddenly stopped and fell, blacking out. Dan ran forward, catching him.

"Shun? Shun! Answer me Shun!" Dan shouted.

"We had better called the paramedics. The energy needed for the previous attacks as well as the last double Limit Break exhausted him. Together with the wounds he sustained from his match against Bryan earlier…" Kai said, trailing off.

"We should have stopped him when Marucho warned us that he might not be able to take that attack's power…" Ray said, regret leaking into his voice.

"No. He had his own reasons and we should respect that. You did the right thing Ray…" Tyson said, reassuring Ray. Just then, the paramedics arrived at the scene. They were about to leave the stadium when Shun woke up.

"Dan…? The match! What happened? Did we win?" Shun asked quickly.

"Shun! You won alright! You proved to them what we can do!" Dan said.

Shun smiled and took a look around. "The stadium…" He started.

"It was destroyed by the Double Limit Break attack earlier. The power was too much for the stadium to take." Kai answered.

"…"

"We should let him leave…" Alice said.

"Wait. Tyson…" Shun said.

"Yeah? What is it Shun?" Tyson asked.

"Win the next match. Don't lose to Zenoheld. Promise me that." Shun said.

"Of course, Shun. I promise." Tyson promised as the paramedics brought him out of the stadium to treat his wounds.

"We have received news from the BBA. As the stadium has been destroyed and cannot be used again today, the last match of this tournament will once again be postponed till tomorrow. Bladers from both teams, please make full use of the rest of the day to prepare for the last match." The announcer announced.

"Alright, you heard him. Let's go start practising for the last match. I want to perform a perfect limit Break as well." Tyson said excitedly.

"We'll help you Tyson." Kai said.

"Yeah. We all will." Keith said, nodding in agreement. They left the stadium for so that Tyson could begin training for the last match in the tournament.

"Aren't we heading to the training room?" Max asked when they walked in the opposite direction from the training rooms.

"If Tyson does manage to perform a perfect Limit Break, the attack launched with it would destroy the room. So, we have decided to go to Dr Michael's house instead so that we can train outside without anything to worry about." Fabia explained. They then set out for Dr Michael's place. When they arrived, they immediately started training in the field outside, where it was snowing. As a result, Tyson was able to comfortably perform a 100% Limit Break by dinner time. The next day, they left for the stadium for the last time of the tournament.

As they entered the stadium, they noticed that the organisers had left the roof unfixed. However, before they had any time to dwell on it, they were met with Klaus and the rest of his team.

"Hey! Good luck for the last match. By the way, where are Dan, Fabia and Ray?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, they decided to go wait for Shun to be allowed to come before coming here. They should be coming together later…" Ren answered.

"I see… Well, good luck!" Klaus said a little cheerfully. Soon, it was time for the last match. Tyson walked up the battle platform, which had been fixed, and was met by the last blader from the Demolition Bladers, Zenoheld. The dish they would use rose to the surface and they were mildly surprised that it was covered in snow.

"Snow…? Well, who cares what the field is? I will still win this match." Zenoheld claimed.

"The final match will be played using this snow dish. Its conditions have been created to mimic the weather conditions of the host country, Russia!" the commenter introduced.

"Snow…? Well, who cares what the field is? I will still win this match." Zenoheld claimed.

"Don't be so sure! My team and I worked hard together to get this far! We won't lose easily!" Tyson rebuked.

"_We_? I only see you up here as my opponent." Zenoheld said, chortling.

"They are fighting together with me in spirit! That is the true spirit of beyblading, not winning matches!" Tyson said.

Laughing, Zenoheld replied, "Alright then, show me this power of the spirit of beyblading. Then we shall see what kind of battle we have. I hope you are ready to lose…"

Both of them launched their beys, commencing the battle. Both of them called out their bit beasts. That was when they saw Zenoheld's bit beast, Pharbos.

"A mechanical bit beast?!" Tyson exclaimed, shocked.

"Meet the new and improved Pharbos! How do you like him?" Zenoheld asked, laughing evilly.

"Didn't we destroy that?" Baron asked.

"He must have rebuilt it…" Keith replied.

The shock of his opponent using a mechanical bit beast meant that Tyson left himself undefended, thus allowing an attack from Pharbos to go through, throwing Dragoon out of the stadium, ending the battle in a stadium out.

"I left myself open… That is the worst thing I could have done. Sorry." Tyson apologised.

"Don't worry about it Tyson. Just focus on the next two battles and win them. Then, this tournament is ours!" Kai said, encouraging Tyson. Nodding, Tyson left the team and headed for the battle platform for the second battle.

"Back huh? Why don't you give up already?" Zenoheld mocked as they met again on the battle platform.

"I won't let my team down, and I made a promise. I will not break it!" Tyson responded.

"You won't have a choice but to!" Zenoheld said as they launched their beys and called out their bit beasts. However, Zenoheld was still overpowering Tyson. Seeing this, the rest of the BakuBladers started to give Tyson their encouragement.

"Tyson! Remember your training!" Kai reminded Tyson.

"Training…" Tyson said, thinking.

"Don't forget your promise to Shun either Tyson! You have to win this! Or else all that Shun did for us will be for nothing!" Keith shouted out to Tyson.

Turning to them, Tyson said, "My promise… That's right…" He turned back to face Zenoheld who had, too, been listening.

"Zenoheld, I will not lose. I have my friends behind me! I am not fighting this battle alone!" Tyson shouted.

They started blading for real. However, no matter what Tyson did, Zenoheld still hung on, not willing to give an inch.

"Is that all you have for me?" Zenoheld taunted.

"Of course not! Now Dragoon! Dragon Storm!" Tyson ordered. This took Zenoheld by surprise and the battle ended in a stadium out, in Tyson's favour.

"Interesting strategy… But what happened to the 'bey spirit' you were telling me about? It doesn't seem to be appearing. No matter. Whether it appears or not next battle, I will still win this match!" Zenoheld proclaimed before leaving the platform. Tyson then followed suit and walked back just as the commenter announced that it was time for a lunch break.

As they were eating, they discussed the match. "That was great Tyson!" Ray congratulated him.

"One more and this tournament is in the bag!" Baron added. However, just then, Marucho's phone rang and he walked away a little to answer it.

"Who could it be? What do you think they are talking about?" Jake asked.

"I'm not sure… But, the others are taking quite a long time to get here don't you think?" Kenny asked.

"You're right… They should be here by now." Ren agreed.

"You don't think…" Ace trailed off and everyone lapse into silence. Just then, Marucho rejoined them.

"Marucho… What…" Julie began.

"The others are making their way over now. They should arrive3 awhile after the third battle begins." Marucho said, cutting Julie off.

"That's great!" Max exclaimed and they all nodded in agreement. They finished their lunch and went back for the third and final battle.

Tyson and Zenoheld started their battle and both called out their bit beasts from the very beginning. As with the previous battle, however, Pharbos was overpowering Dragoon. The small distance between them prevented Tyson from using his special move lest he threw himself out of the stadium as well. Just as he and the team were all stressed out, Shun, Dan, Ray and Fabia arrived at the stadium.

"Dan! Fabia! Shun! Ray! You're here!" Kenny exclaimed when they saw them approaching.

"Yeah! What has been going on, Kenny?" Dan asked.

"We are on battle away from winning, and so are they. But…" Kenny replied, gesturing helplessly at the stadium where Tyson was currently losing. After they viewed the battle for some time, Shun decided he had witnessed enough and went as close to the platform as he could.

"Tyson! It's time to show him what the bey spirit can do!" Shun told Tyson.

"But… I don't know how to!" Tyson confessed.

Shocked, awkward silence filled the stadium as both sides reeled in shock.

"Weren't you saying that you would show it to them…?" Max asked, slightly confused.

"…Yeah…But I was just saying…" Tyson protested.

"Never mind for now then. Use Limit Break. Put all your hopes, dreams, desires, feelings and, most importantly, your will to win into it. Dragoon will respond to it, I'm sure." Shun said.

"Really Shun?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah…" Shun replied, walking away.

"Thanks Shun!" Tyson shouted after him before turning back to the battle. He faced Zenoheld yet again, this time with renewed confidence.

"Dragoon! Let's work together for this attack and win it for the team! Limit Break!" Tyson ordered.

"That won't work fool! I already worked out a way to stop those kinds of attacks." Zenoheld said, laughing.

"Believe in yourself, Tyson!" Shun shouted just when Tyson's attack was faltering.

"Shun's right Tyson! We are all behind you!" Kai joined in. The encouragement from the team spurred Tyson's attack on and it directly hit Pharbos, blowing it out of the stadium, ending the match and the tournament. The BakuBladers were the champion for the second time in a row!

They celebrated as they left the stadium and boarded Marucho's private jet as they returned to Japan. However, on the way, Marucho got a call. After hanging up, Marucho returned with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry guys… But we have a problem in Interspace…" he said.

"Coredagon?" Dan asked.

"Yeah…" Marucho replied.

"If he's there, then…" Shun said.

"We'll have to leave immediately. Yeah…" Marucho said.

"We'll help too." Fabia added.

"Thanks. Let's go." Dan responded. They sent the BladeBreakers back to the airport before flying off, waving goodbye to each other.


End file.
